Full Text
Depot Park Event Policy Objective Depot Park is a valuable asset to the City of Whitefish Park System and is in high demand for use by numerous community organizations for staging a variety of special events. The purpose of the Depot Park Event Policy is to protect and maintain Depot Park and to find a balance in scheduling special events while minimizing negative impacts to the park and maintaining public access to parkland. The Depot Park Event Policy recognizes that several special events have historically occurred in Depot Park, and as such have been taken into consideration in the development of this policy. Historic events are defined as events that have taken place for three or more consecutive years and include: the Farmers Market, Whitefish Marathon, Whitefish Arts Festival, Huckleberry Days, Whitefish Trail Hootenanny, Snowbus Brewfest, Whitefish Community Foundation Color Run, and Oktoberfest. Scheduling Plan The most critical element of the Depot Park Event Policy is limiting event frequency to allow for recovery time between events. Typically, a multi-day event will need the day before the event to set up and the day following the event to break down, which further impacts our ability to provide the necessary maintenance tasks to preserve the quality of Depot Park. Therefore, a three-day event often translates to five days without irrigation, mowing, etc. The following policies will be imposed upon the future use of Depot Park: 1. One “multi-day event” permitted per month. 2. Multi-day weekend events are limited to one weekend with the exception of Oktoberfest which is permitted 2 consecutive weekends 3. One weekend “single-day event” permitted per week. 4. Park fees will be charged for the entire duration of the impact to the park, including setup, event times, and take-down. 5. Half day rates are defined as events taking place before 1pm or events taking place after 1pm. Events whose setup, event, and takedown times span over the 1pm threshold will be charged a full day rate. 6. Weekly events must alternate layouts to minimize impacts to turf. 7. One weekend each month will have no scheduled events, preferably the weekend following the multi- day event. 8. Single day events, occurring back-to-back, are limited to two consecutive days per month. 9. Minimum of one day between multi-day and back-to-back events is required for park rehabilitation. 10. No tent, lodge, shelter, display, or other structure may remain unattended on park grounds. 11. Unauthorized equipment and vehicles are not permitted on park grounds. Parking on the grass is prohibited. 12. Tent staking is limited to the northeastern portion of Depot Park and approval must be received in writing via a special event permit. 13. Single day events that take place on weekdays are limited to Tuesday Farmers’ Market and one Friday per month. Single day Friday events cannot occur on the Friday of a multi-day weekend event or on the Friday of back-to-back single events that occur on a weekend. ---PAGE BREAK--- Park Layout for Use (Rotation of Space) In an effort to further minimize impacts to Depot Park from overuse, reoccurring weekly events must alternate the layout of the event each week. Layouts must maximize the use of hardscape such as parking spaces and sidewalks for vendor and pedestrian use, minimizing the repeated patterns of foot traffic in the park. Application Submission Timeline Save the Date requests for historic events must be received by December 31st the year prior. New events may submit applications January 1st, and will be handled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Special Event Guidelines The City of Whitefish’s Special Event Guidelines have been established for all public spaces. The Depot Park Event Policy does not supersede these guidelines. All event organizers must follow and abide by the Special Event Guidelines as well as the Depot Park Event Policy.