CLARK BUILDING: PRIVATE PARTIES

Recommendation

The Parks, Recreation and Community Resources Commission recommend that Council amend the facility use policy for the Clark Building to reflect the following:

1. The Clark Building may be reserved by: (a) non-profit, (b) community, (c) school, or (d) civic organizations, for fundraisers, parties and/or events directly related to their organizations. Alcohol will be permitted at these functions and additional hourly restrictions will not apply. Appropriate fees to apply.
   
2. The Clark Building will remain available for rental on an hourly basis for: (a) meetings, and (b) recreation activities. Appropriate fees (commercial/non-profit) to apply.
   
3. The Clark Building will be available for rental for private parties subject to the following: (a) Private parties cannot be scheduled past 10 PM. (b) No alcohol will be permitted at private parties. (c) Resident fees shall be $50 per hour (plus staff costs and deposits). Non-resident fees shall be $60 per hour (plus staff costs and deposits).

Background

At the April 14, 1998 meeting, Council directed the Commission to study the issue of private parties at the Clark Building. This request resulted from concerns expressed by Council about neighborhood noise complaints and police call-outs that had resulted from the use of the Kiwanis Building for private parties.

At the May 20, 1998 meeting, the Commission studied the issue of private parties and developed the recommendation indicated above.

The grid below describes the Clark Building parties from FY 96-97 and 97-98 (to date). It is noteworthy that the Clark Building was closed for 6 months (from January 97- June 97) making it difficult to determine a recent full year for the purpose of evaluating revenue impacts. Combining the years allows us to approximate a $10,000 fiscal impact on the revenue side for party rentals.

Date	Event	Resident of	Fees
August 3, 1996	50th Birthday	Manhattan Beach	620.25
October 19, 1996	Quinseaneia	Redondo Beach	845.40
October 26, 1996	Surf Club Dance	Manhattan Beach	520.00
October 27, 1996	50th Birthday	Torrance	715.40
November 13, 1996	Scottish Society Dance	Los Angeles	500.00
November 30, 1996	Quinseaneia	Redondo Beach	760.40
December 7, 1996	Xmas Party	Yorba Linda	770.40
July 5, 1997	Wedding Reception	Lawndale	560.40
July 26, 1997	Wedding Reception	Carson	735.40
August 2, 1997	Birthday Party	Manhattan Beach	530.40
August 16, 1997	Wedding Reception	Redondo Beach	450.00
August 30, 1997	Quinseaneia	Lawndale	710.40
September 20, 1997	Wedding	Redondo Beach	595.40
November 22, 1997	Scottish Society Dance	Los Angeles	325.00
December 6, 1997	Quinseaneia	Chino	771.00
January 17, 1998	Going Away Party	Hermosa Beach	290.00
		TOTAL	$9,669.85

For comparative purposes, staff called the cities of Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and Torrance to obtain their facility rental policies for private parties (Attachment B).

Analysis

The most recent complaints about private parties have centered on the service buildings (located adjacent to Valley Park), while parties at the Clark Building have a history of generating only modest neighborhood complaints.

Notwithstanding the above, the Commission felt that potential neighborhood impacts from private parties could be reduced considerably with reduced hours and alcohol restrictions (Manhattan and Redondo Beach have similar restrictions). In addition, they felt that the overall numbers and maintenance impacts of parties could be lessened with the addition of non-resident fees.

As indicated in the Fiscal Impact section, staff projects that this amended policy would, in effect, eliminate most private parties in the Clark Building.

OTHER ALTERNATIVES

1. Retain the existing rental policy.
2. Retain the existing policy but increase rental fees: This may reduce the number of renters and thereby reduce the overall impacts of these events without impacting the budget.
3. Amend the Commission's recommended policy.
4. Prohibit private parties.

Fiscal Impact: Staff concludes that the Commission's recommended alternative would in effect, eliminate most reservations for private parties (this projection is based on past reservations where, in most cases, alcohol was served). Based on that concept and on revenues from previous years, staff estimates a reduction of $9,000 in fund #3411 (general fund revenues) for FY 98-99.

Agendas / Minutes Menu | Back to Agenda | Top of Page