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Home My WebLink AboutCSD-11-097 - Square 2 Square ReviewREPORT TO: DATE OF MEETING: SUBMITTED BY: PREPARED BY: WARD(S) INVOLVED: DATE OF REPORT: REPORT NO.: SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATION: Council August 2, 2011 Keith Baulk, Director of Enterprise, 2393 Jeff Young, Manager of Special Events, 2388 Wards 9 & 10 July 20, 2011 CSD-11-097 SQUARE 2 SQUARE REVIEW That staff be directed to implement one additional Square 2 Square Event on September 18, 2011; and That the road closure extend from Gaukel Street to Francis Street only without any closure (partial or otherwise) extending to Waterloo; and That approval be granted for an over expenditure in the amount of $7,421.00 funded from the Tax Stabilization Account for the September 18t" event; and further, That future Car-free Sunday/Square 2 Square events beyond 2011 be referred to the 2012 budget process. BACKGROUND: On May 30, 2011, Council approved a plan to implement the Square 2 Square/Car Free Sunday event as outlined in Community Services Department report CSD-11-074. The first event was held on July 17th, 2011. The approval supported the following program components: - partnering with the City of Waterloo to undertake a collaborative event - full closure of King Street from Civic Square to Victoria Street - partial closure of King St. (one lane) from Victoria St. to Union St. where Waterloo would take responsibility for implementing road closures within their municipal boundaries and at their cost - programmed activity on Civic Square and on King Street in the area of the full road closure A budget of $11,562.50 (City of Kitchener portion) was approved for the event and it was funded as an over expenditure from the tax stabilization account. Staff were also directed to conduct an evaluation of the event with the findings to be summarized and presented at a special council meeting to be held on August 2nd, 2011. Staff would seek direction at this special council meeting before proceeding with future Square 2 Square events. REPORT: The first Square 2 Square event in Kitchener and the second overall in the proposed series (Waterloo -June 19) took place on July 17th as planned. An overview of the event is provided below: • Full street closure from Gaukel Street to Victoria Street, partial closure from Victoria Street to Union Street • Event ran from 11 am - 3 pm • Eight different entertainers on 2 stages (Civic Square and CHYM FM at King/Water) throughout the day • 22 local vendors for artists market on King Street • 17 different interactive zones along the route • 4 media partners (Dave FM/91.5 The Beat, CHYM FM/KICX FM/570 News, Rogers, The Record) • Approximately 1,000 - 1,500 participants took part in the event in Kitchener Throughout the Square 2 Square event on July 17th, 2011 staff were able to gather feedback from a wide cross section of individuals, including participants and vendors. Through the use of both paper and electronic surveys, staff and event volunteers were able to have 150 surveys completed throughout the day. Staff also made observations and had general conversation with a number of participants and vendors. The feedback is summarized as follows: Vendor Feedback • fair number of people browsing, not a lot of purchases • interested in coming out to the potential Square 2 Square event in September • not sure it is worth their time to give up a another weekend in the middle of the summer in consecutive months (i.e. August) • enjoyed interacting with consumers Participant Feedback • most enjoyed the experience and activities throughout the day • would like to see an increase in food vendors and more involvement from downtown businesses • increased advertising within the community to promote the event • hold the event in early fall (cooler temperatures) • experience was just like in Europe Attached as Appendix 1 is a sampling of the comments from the surveys that support the feedback summary points listed above. Staff have developed a perspective on issues along with a summary of the positive outcomes resulting from the event: Issues: • the role of the volunteer team was reduced for the event due to the increase in police as they no longer had to act as guides at intersections for pedestrians • additional time required for staff to be engaged with an already full portfolio of events • police and auxiliary police presence was too prominent during the event • staffing and equipment resources were stretched in running an event alongside an existing event (Ribfest) • traffic from Ribfest in Victoria Park up to the Square 2 Square event activity at Civic Square was not noticeable throughout the day • an extremely hot day (high temperature of 34 °C and humidex of 39 °C) made it more challenging for seniors and young children to take part Positives: • the event achieved the overall goal of raising awareness of a car free day • good flow between interactions on the fully closed blocks of King Street in downtown Kitchener • wide variety of activities that appealed to all ages • many positive comments on the use of 2 stages for entertainment • excellent coverage from the local media partners involved Based on the above, staff are recommending proceeding with the proposed September 17th Car Free Sunday/Square 2 Square event, but not the event proposed for August 14tH There is a significant conflict with Kidspark on August 14th. Almost all of the no cost interactive activity that was utilized on July 17 in Civic Square and on King Street is booked for Kidspark. In addition, the timelines are very tight to confirm and contract other performers and vendors. Staff also heard a number of the vendors were less interested in attending on August 14th, but generally more excited about participating in the September 18th event. As a result, the programmed portion of the proposed August 14th event would not be of the same scope or quality, but is expected to be for a September 18th event. Staff are also recommending that King Street remain fully open from Francis Street to Union Street. While there were a number of participants who did travel between the two squares in Kitchener and Waterloo respectively, it is staff's opinion that the level of participation in that component of the event did not justify the added costs. Pedestrians, cyclists and those taking transit could still move back and forth between the two squares in the usual manner. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: This initiative touches on various components of community priorities, including Quality of Life, Dynamic Downtown and Environment. By creating a car-free day and encouraging participation, it will support these 3 community priorities. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The following matrix outlines the approved budget for July 17th, projected actual costs, percentage of budget, and the proposed budget for September 18th utilizing the recommended approach. Expense Budget July 17 Projected Actual July 17 Actual as of Budget Jul 17 Budget Sep 18 Programming $ 2,500.00 $ 1,656.72 66% $ 1,800.00 Staffing/Volunteer Recognition $ 862.50 $ 807.50 94% $ 900.00 Traffic $ 6,000.00 $ 2,621.21 44% $ 2,621.00 Communications/Marketing $ 1,000.00 $ 892.24 89% $ 900.00 Police Services $ 1,200.00 $ 5,000.00 417% $ 1,200.00 $11,562.50 $10,977.67 $ 7,421.00 * May be reduced, subject to confirmation by Transportation Planning staff Note: In-kind media support for the event was $32,985 The estimated attendance of the July event ranged from 1,000 to 1,500. Therefore, the City's cost for this event ranged from $7.32 to $10.98 per person. It should be acknowledged this is a first year event and in general participation increases over time. Below is a listing of the cost per person for other events supported by the City: Kidspark: $2.94 Our World Music Festival: $5.38 Cruising On King: $0.50 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Staff met with the key program advocates and community supporters on a number of occasions prior to the event. These meetings assisted in establishing the event objectives and program plan for the July 17th event. In addition, staff surveyed participants and vendors at the event to get their feedback around the value of future events. On July 21St following the event, the key program advocates and departmental staff representatives met to debrief. This group was in agreement with the recommendation in the report. Every effort will be made to involve the community in driving the success of the initiative moving forward. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Jeff Wilmer, Deputy CAO, Community Services Department ATTACHMENT: Appendix 1 -Survey Summary Appendix 1 -Survey Summary 1. Gender Male - 52.7% Female - 47.3% 2. Resident of Kitchener Yes - 72% No - 28% 3. Did you attend the first S2S event? Yes - 30% No - 70% 4. Would you like to see more S2S events? Yes - 92.7% No - 3.3% No opinion - 4% 5. How did you hear about the S2S event? 1. Friend - 24.7% 2. Newspaper - 24% 3. Did not come for S2S - 21.3% 4. Internet- 17.3% 5. Event Poster - 7.3% 6. Radio - 5.3% Noted below are a sample of comments received throughout the day from the event surveys • More musicians and food vendors • Close downtown every weekend to pedestrian traffic • More activities for kids • Once a year only • Restaurants should offer samples • Have more displayed stuff • Mist sprayers near band • Better advertising • More people/vendors • More activities • Would be better in the fall, too hot • Needs more networking • Roads weren't blocked off as well in Waterloo • Noise level too much • Creates community, getting people out