Title
Recommendation to Approve an Updated Slate of Recreation and Parks Department Community Events. (Recreation 280)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City), via the Alameda Recreation and Parks Department (ARPD), coordinates numerous community events throughout the year. The COVID-19 Pandemic resulted in the cancellation of all City-led events. In recent months, staff has been evaluating community events. The level of interest and anticipated attendance, as well as inclusivity and diversity have all been used as criteria to evaluate. The proposed updated and reimagined slate of community events reflects these considerations and values.
BACKGROUND
ARPD has a long history of providing community events, many of which have been in place for decades with the longest running event being the 108th Alameda City Tennis Tournament this year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all community events were cancelled in 2020 and only a few smaller events are returning in 2021. As we look toward bringing back large community events in 2022, it is also a unique opportunity to reimagine City-sponsored community events and consider what is working well and what could change. Additionally, the community continues to reflect on the values of inclusion, diversity, and equity.
DISCUSSION
The Reimagined ARPD Community Events (Exhibit 1) lists "Primary Events" and "Secondary Events." The Primary Events are large in scale and scope and require a significant amount of staff time and larger budgets. These events generally draw thousands of attendees. The Secondary Events are smaller in scope with either a smaller amount of staff resources required to coordinate and/or are in collaboration with an external organization that manages most of the event coordination.
The following is a description of the Primary Events being proposed.
Existing/Continuing Primary Events
The Sandcastle and Sandsculpture Contest is re...
Click here for full text