TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Alexandria Latragna, Acting Communications and Civic Engagement Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of the City Sponsoring a Juneteenth Celebration Event at Bruce’s Beach Park (City Manager Moe).
(Estimated Time: 30 Mins.)
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction of the City sponsoring a Juneteenth celebration event at Bruce’s Beach Park.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Should City Council direct staff to proceed with sponsoring this event, a total amount of expenditures for the event would need to be established and the Council would have to consider an appropriation from the unreserved General Fund balance at a future Council meeting. City Council may wish to authorize staff to seek sponsorships from community groups to offset the cost of holding the event.
BACKGROUND:
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the date on which enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finally received news that they had been set free by the Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier, and that the Civil War had ended two months earlier. It is an official federal holiday and the oldest known commemoration of the abolition of slavery in the United States.
In past years, residents and visitors informally gather at Bruce’s Beach Park to observe and celebrate Juneteenth. Recently, there have been a number of requests from community members to host a Juneteenth celebration at Bruce’s Beach Park.
On July 17, 2018, the City Council approved the City’s Special Events Policy which creates guidelines and procedures by which outside organizations can apply to hold special events in public spaces. Last year, the City Council considered a request to update the Special Event Policy to remove the exclusion of Bruce’s Beach and 8th Street and Larsson Street Parkettes. The City Council chose not to update the Special Events Policy, and therefore, only the City can hold organized events at Bruce’s Beach.
DISCUSSION:
Should the City Council direct staff to plan and host a Juneteenth celebration, there are several items the City Council should consider and provide direction to staff:
• Date and time. Typically, Juneteenth events take place on the observed holiday, which in this case is Monday, June 19, 2023. Alternatively, City Council may choose to hold the event on the Saturday or Sunday prior to the holiday.
• Potential temporary impacts on neighbors. Given the location of Bruce’s Beach Park, there may be increased traffic and parking demand in the surrounding neighborhood during the event. Also, if there is amplified sound, nearby residents may be able to hear sound originating from the event. Prior to an event, notifications can be sent out to the neighbors within 500 feet of Bruce’s Beach Park to notify them of planned details of the event including information on traffic, parking restrictions, and any planned amplified sound. Additionally, City Council may want to consider the time of the planned event to minimize any impact on neighbors.
• Budget. In order to prepare for the event, City Council may wish to appropriate money from the general fund to accommodate the costs of hosting such an event. City Council may also wish to authorize staff to seek sponsorships from community organizations or businesses in order to help offset the costs.
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction on the City sponsoring a Juneteenth celebration event at Bruce’s Beach Park.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
Staff has heard from several community groups regarding their interest in participating in a Juneteenth celebration. If the Council authorizes this event, staff will provide further public outreach with the details of the event, including time, parking restrictions, available off-street parking and a recommendation of ride-sharing.