Five year contract for a revamped Snowglobe on City Council agenda

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Even though the Snowglobe Music Festival is held in South Lake Tahoe for just three days a year, it's a year-long series of negotiations and discussions between staff, agencies, the No-Globe Alliance and the public to work out details for the next December's event.

During the June 18 City Council meeting, a new, multi-year Special Event Agreement
for the SnowGlobe Music Festival will be presented, discussed and voted on. The agreement includes a 5-year term, with a mutual option for a 5-year extension with changes to address some of the public's concern of noise and expenses.

Impacts to the Community Play Field area a concern again this year, the second year the event has been on the new fields. In 2018 the fields couldn't be used until mid-summer after they needed extensive work after the 2017 event. This summer is a different story, though the fields are taking a while to be playable again.

City and College field maintenance personnel have worked together to assess the Community Playfields field following the harsh winter and found approximately 50 percent of the turf to be dead or dying. Turf experts from Edgewood Golf Course, Lake Tahoe Golf Course, and Full Circle Compost were consulted to provide opinions as to whether the compromised areas were the result of SnowGlobe or the result of a condition known as “winterkill”.

Winterkill is a condition that occurs when grass is frozen for long periods of time and nutrients are unable to penetrate to the roots causing them to die. The experts confirmed this condition is present at many golf courses and fields in the area. Full Circle Compost conducted a soil analysis on the Community Playfield in the area of dead grass and the roots were found to be alive and overall soil low in nutrients. As a result, a plan was established, based on expert advice, to initiate a series of treatments to recover the dead or dying grass. The treatment plan is currently underway and will continue following this weekend's soccer tournament, Come Up For Air (CUFA).

Another major concern for some residents is the noise, especially noise after 10:00 p.m. The proposed Agreement clarifies that the City will work cooperatively with TRPA and ensure that SnowGlobe conforms to TRPA noise requirements, and clarifies the 95 dbA and 95 dbC limits (with continuous monitoring of noise levels). In addition, City staff will continue to work cooperatively with SnowGlobe to identify other noise mitigation measures and strategies to assist the residents in Pioneer Village.

"City staff have been working closely with TRPA and SnowGlobe to propose conditions for a new agreement that reflect a balance between community concerns, a quality festival experience, effective sound management, and reduced City expense," said City Manager Frank Rush in his report to Council.

Key terms of the proposed agreement in the Staff report to Council:

1) The term of the Agreement is 5 years, with a mutual option for a 5-year extension.

2) The Agreement requires SnowGlobe to secure use of the Community Play Fields at rental rates established by the Community Play Consortium.

3) The Agreement requires SnowGlobe to secure use of Lake Tahoe Community College
(LTCC) facilities and grounds at rental rates established by LTCC.

4) The City is no longer providing a sponsorship fee of $35,000 annually. Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority (LTVA) has agreed to cover this expense for 2019.

5) SnowGlobe shall contract with the City for event support services (Police, Fire, Public Works, Development Services, etc.) in the amount of actual costs, including annual business license and permit fees, up to a maximum of $75,000. As a result of the LTVA sponsorship assumption and SnowGlobe covering the City’s costs for event support services, the City will eliminate nearly all of its annual expense associated with the SnowGlobe event.

6) SnowGlobe must comply with TRPA and City noise requirements. The City will consult with TRPA officials prior to issuing a Temporary Activity Permit for the event, and SnowGlobe will be required to comply with applicable TRPA and City requirements. Discussions regarding noise requirements are ongoing between SnowGlobe, the City, and TRPA, and at this time it appears that TRPA will require SnowGlobe to cease operations by 10 pm each night, including New Year’s Eve. There have been ongoing discussions about alternative strategies to enable the event to
continue until 12:30 am on New Year’s Eve, and if an acceptable strategy is identified and approved by TRPA then we expect SnowGlobe to implement such a strategy. It is in both the City’s interest (in order to prevent large congregations in the Stateline area at midnight) and SnowGlobe’s interest (for economic and broadcast reasons) for the event to continue at least until slightly after midnight, and alternative strategies will continue to be considered.
It certainly seems reasonable for any New Year’s Eve event in any community to continue until slightly after midnight.

7) Noise levels shall not exceed 95 dbA and 95 dbC measured over a sustained period of ten minutes at the intersection of Al Tahoe Boulevard and the South Tahoe Public Utilities District access road. In the event that the noise levels are exceeded, SnowGlobe shall reduce the noise levels immediately upon request by the City.

8) The event is subject to requirements included in a Temporary Activity Permit issued annually, and we expect to include identical or similar provisions in future permits as were included in the 2018 permit. Council should note that we intend to consolidate the Temporary Activity Permit and Facility Use Permit into one consolidated document for 2019 and beyond.

9) SnowGlobe shall continue to provide adequate field cover panels to preserve the viability of turf for community use in the following spring, and shall continue to provide a deposit and performance bond.

10)The use of bio-degradable confetti is authorized, but must be completely cleaned up within 24 hours.

11)Fireworks are permitted, but displays are limited to two (2) minutes each on the first two nights, and five (5) minutes on New Year’s Eve. The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department is granted sole authority to determine if conditions are safe for fireworks display.

12)SnowGlobe, the City, and LTCC will engage in an annual review of SnowGlobe soon after the conclusion of the event, with timely discussion of opportunities for improvement and correction of deficiencies. The City will notify SnowGlobe of any recommended changes to the Temporary Activity Permit by January 31 of each year of the agreement.

13)SnowGlobe shall work in good faith with City officials to attempt to identify a suitable, alternative location for SnowGlobe in the future. City staff will be working to identify a safe location that preserves the appeal of SnowGlobe, preserves the positive economic impact in our community, and that further minimizes noise impacts on the community.

To view the ull proposed agreement - https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/379722/SnowGlobe_Agreement_wi...

The Council meeting is on Tuesday night at the Airport beginning at 5:30 p.m. It is carried live on the City's Facebook page and on Channel 21.