Title
a. Approve a one-time Special Event Use Permit between See & Be Productions Inc. and the County of Monterey to promote and conduct the Wildflower Triathlon at Lake San Antonio, South Shore on May 2-4, 2025, where See & Be Productions Inc. will be responsible for reimbursing all related expenditures incurred by Public Works, Facilities, and Parks (PWFP) in support of the event;
b. Find that the one-time Wildflower Triathlon event scheduled for May 2-4, 2025, at Monterey County’s Lake San Antonio, South Shore, is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Section 15304(e) of the CEQA Guidelines; and
c. Authorize the Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks or designee to sign the Special Event Use Permit between See & Be Productions, Inc. and the County of Monterey. (ADDED VIA ADDENDA)
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve a one-time Special Event Use Permit between See & Be Productions Inc. and the County of Monterey to promote and conduct the Wildflower Triathlon at Lake San Antonio, South Shore on May 2-4, 2025, where See & Be Productions Inc. will be responsible for reimbursing all related expenditures incurred by Public Works, Facilities, and Parks (PWFP) in support of the event ;
b. Find that the one-time Wildflower Triathlon event scheduled for May 2-4, 2025, at Monterey County’s Lake San Antonio, South Shore, is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to Section 15304(e) of the CEQA Guidelines; and
c. Authorize the Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks or designee to sign the Special Event Use Permit between See & Be Productions, Inc. and the County of Monterey.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
Tri-California Events, Inc. (Tri-California) successfully held the Wildflower Triathlon event (Event) at the Lake San Antonio South Shore (Park) from 1995 to 2018. The Event was not held in 2017, and 2019-Present due to low water levels in the lake. In 2017, Tri-California entered into an agreement with Motiv Sports Inc. (Motiv), to produce the Event and was subsequently assigned to See & Be Productions Inc. (See & Be) in 2020.
See & Be requests to enter into a one-time Special Event Use Permit (Permit) with the County of Monterey (County) to hold the Event at the Park on May 2-4, 2025 (Attachment A). See & Be shall pay the County $46,240 for the Event which includes site fees, past storage fees, inflatable permit fee, alcohol permit fee, photography permit fee, ranger fees, and use of cabins 4-7; and a refundable cleaning/damage deposit of $10,000. Event details are set forth in Attachment B. All Event plans will be updated no later than 30 days prior to the Event and will be incorporated by reference in the Permit. Per Monterey County Code 14.12.180F.1, any special event held at a County park with 5,000 or more participants requires approval of the County Board of Supervisors.
Section 15304 of the CEQA Guidelines exempts minor alteration to such as temporary use of land having negligible or impermanent effects on the environment including carnivals, outdoor festivals/concerts, etc. (Attachment C). Permit conditions require See & Be to restore the facility to its pre-event conditions. As such, staff finds that this Event can be found categorically exempt from CEQA review.
Staff requests the Board of Supervisors: 1) Approve the one-time Special Event Use Permit for the Event with an anticipated attendance over 5,000; 2) Find that the Event is categorically exempt from CEQA per Section 15304(e); and 3) Authorize the Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks or designee to sign the Permit.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Office of County Counsel reviewed the Permit and approved it as to form. See & Be is required to submit Event plans for review and to secure all required regulatory permits from the County of Monterey Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), Risk Management, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), Department of Emergency Management (DEM), and Health Department, California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), and Monterey County Regional Fire District (MCRFD). See & Be is required to contract with designated companies or local law enforcement agencies to provide required traffic control and security for the Event.
FINANCING:
Approving the Special Event Use Permit will generate new revenues of $36,240 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 for PWFP Park Operations. This Event was not assured during the development of the FY 2024-25 budget, and thus these revenues were not included. PWFP does not expect to incur any additional cost as a result of this Permit, except for staff time, which is already included in the budget and will be reimbursed by See & Be. Therefore, there is no need for additional appropriations in General Fund 001, Park Operations Appropriation Unit PFP058.
The Special Event Fee of $36,240 covers: past due storage fees; site, inflatable, alcohol, and photography permit fees; use of cabins 4-7; and County Ranger services. Of this amount, $12,862 is non-refundable if See & Be cancels the 2025 Event. The $12,862 would be retained by the County and applied against past due storage fees from March 2021 through October 2024 of $12,862. If Park staff services and/or additional County Ranger services are requested by the permittee, which are not included in the Permit, County will be reimbursed based on time and materials.
Camping and day use fees during the four-day Event will be collected by See & Be. The County will receive 8% of those fees and the remainder retained by See & Be.
There is also a participant fee that will be remitted to the Water Resource Agency (WRA) based on number of participants. The Use Permit proposes to collect the participant fees for all tickets sold up to March 15, 2025 on April 1, 2025. The balance of the participant fees will be reconciled after the Event and See & Be shall pay a fee for each additional participant within 14 calendar days following the Event.
An additional $10,000 refundable cleaning/damage deposit will be collected, and any unused portion will be returned to See & Be after the Event.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The recommended action supports the Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives for Economic Development, Administration, Health & Human Services, Infrastructure, and Public Safety. PWFP-Parks’ effective administration attracts many events to County Parks’ facilities, which not only generate revenue to sustain the parks but also promote economic development by attracting out-of-area visitor dollars that stimulate the local economy. Management of events held in County Parks’ facilities is always attentive to protecting park resources, ensuring public safety, and reducing potential impacts to the local community to the greatest extent possible.
X Economic Development
X Administration
X Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Dona Luna, Management Analyst III, x5455
Reviewed by: Bryan Flores, Chief of Parks
Approved by: Randell Ishii, MS, PE, TE, PTOE, Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks
Attachments:
Attachment A - Proposed Special Event Use Permit
Attachment B - See & Be Race Event Details
Attachment C - CEQA Guidelines Section 15304(e)
(Attachments are on file with the Clerk of the Board)