Camping: Camping is not allowed in any park area unless approved by City Council.While speaking to the council I explained to them the purpose of having camping available, to accommodate those who want to attend all 3 days, yet live out of town and cannot afford to rent a hotel for the duration of the event. The Commission understood this but pointed out money factor. When camping in a park for 3 days it isn't like a maintained camp ground. The ground in the park will be trodden and compressed by hundreds of feet, tents, and equipment. As a community we all pay for the park, making it our civic duty to either pay for the repairs or to simply keep the park in good repair. Thus camping is on the table for whether or not it is brought up the next time SOSA comes before the city.
Money is going to be the most difficult aspect of this event as SOSA sells itself. It is a great community event which provides opportunities for both community volunteers, officials, and residents to learn a grow together. Therefore it would be wise for SOSA to spend the next month and a half seeking donations, endorsements, and volunteers. We will also need to have a more thoroughly documented financial plan for the Commission to peruse. This is because we need to prove we can afford the Special Use Fees and/or insurance for our event.
2. Special Use Events (requiring site plans): Used for car shows, events using booths, etc. These require additional documentation. Please outline your event to us in a letter format, which you can email, mail, fax, or drop off to us. We can provide you an outline of a park area if you need to map out placement of booths, etc.Now check out the fees I've included below:
FEES1. General Public Use Permit: 2hr/$28, under 50 attendees; amplification is an additional $16/hr.2. Special Use Permits - events requiring site plans, $55/2 hr under 50 attendees; amplification is additional $16/hr.The following applies to both General Use and Special Use Permits: Additional fees for 51-100 attendees $16.50/2hr, 101-150 attendees $24.50/2hr and 151 or more attendees $33/2hr.As you can see, we will fall under the Special Use Permits. With plans to have more than 150 people, we will be paying $55.00+$33.00=$88.00/hr or less for this event. I say less because we will do our best to negotiate with the city on this price. Being a community event which will offer services to the community, it is safe to say the city should be willing to reduce these fees to assist us in making this event a reality.
Our city fee's budget will include the following:
- Special Use Permits: $4752.00 for 54 hours of use sans negotiation. (Noon Friday - 6 PM Sunday)
- Insurance or Deposit: Unknown Cost as of Today
- Noise Permit: $144.00 if only used 3 hours per day. $576.00 if used for 36 hours.
Amplification: No person shall use any device to amplify sound in any park unless a valid permit has been issued by the Parks and Recreation Director.Maximum amount of time that amplified sound is allowed during an event is 3 hours. This may be waived if the event is part of a City sponsored or partnership event.No person shall use sound producing or reproducing equipment between the hours of 10pm and 8am on public property or on public rights-of-way.
As a result of this meeting, SOSA has been changed from the Southern Oregon Spring Awakening to the Southern Oregon Summer Awakening, keeping its original acronym. This might tell you we have pushed back the date for the event to some time in August. The mission for the next month and half will now be to inspire local organizations to participate, fund, sponsor, and/or donate to this event. We must gather their support, garner their attention, and direct it to the benefit of the community in the form of a civic engagement and community resource exposé.
Sincerely,
Nick Patterson
Lead SOSA Organizer
Additional Information: http://www.ci.medford.or.us/page.asp?navid=193