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Consents & Variances
Pakistan Day Parade and Fair
WHEREAS, The Pakistan Day Parade & Fair Committee Inc. wishes to conduct a street festival on Madison Avenue between 23rd and 26th Streets, on Sunday, August 24, 2008; and
WHEREAS, The applicant has submitted an Application For Street Activity Permit to the City of New York Street Activity Permit Office (“SAPO”), which was received on December 26, 2007; and
WHEREAS, The applicant has said that on Thursday February 14, 2008 they will submit a Special Event Permit Application to the City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation, seeking permission to use Madison Square Park and, for this year, we will not ask them to return to our Board for a separate approval; and
WHEREAS, The proposed street festival and special event in the park is organized in conjunction with the Pakistan Day Parade; and
WHEREAS, The Pakistan Day street festival has been conducted regularly since 1985, and the 13th Police Precinct acknowledges that this draws larger numbers of participants each year and also believes that this parade will draw approximately 10,000 to 15,000 spectators; and
WHEREAS, At times in the past, there was some failure in the provision of adequate crowd control, resulting in destruction of park property, thus requiring police assistance; and
WHEREAS, In acknowledging that there will be a large number of participants, the applicant has agreed to pay a bond to the Department of Parks & Recreation for an amount not less than of $10,000.00 and agrees to work with to the New York Police Department (NYPD) to control the crowd; and
WHEREAS, The applicant wants to install a stage occupying ½ of the block between 23rd & 24th Street with amplified sound; and
WHEREAS, The Application For Street Activity Permit states that there will be four vendors of Merchandise, three vendors of Arts & Crafts, six vendors of Food, and two vendors of other types; and
WHEREAS, The Application For Street Activity Permit states that the actual time of the event is between the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, and that the applicant is seeking permission to close the street between 8:00 A.M. and 7:00 PM; and
WHEREAS, The applicant has stated that the Parade is to begin at 1:00 PM, and the participants are anticipated to reach Madison Avenue and East 27th Street at approximately 2:30 PM; and
WHEREAS, The applicant has agreed that this will involve set-up no earlier than 11:00 AM and clean-up to be completed before 10:00 PM; and
WHEREAS, garbage must not accumulate excessively on the sidewalks, streets or anywhere in the park, the applicant is in agreement that there must be an ample number of trash receptacles for the public, conveniently located, and that they must make every attempt to inform the participants to use those trash receptacles; and
WHEREAS, All trash receptacles will be regularly emptied into larger holding containers throughout the event; and
WHEREAS, Careless transport of greasy garbage bags causes stains that require weeks of cleaning to remove, the applicant has agreed that all garbage bags are to be lifted as opposed to dragged, to avoid spillage, and that garbage should be transported in carts to prevent staining, not dragged along the sidewalk; and
WHEREAS, It is understood that there will be no cooking permitted on the sidewalks, and that oil, grease or any product that can stain or cause a slippery condition must be kept in the street, and that oil or grease must be removed in a secure sealed container, and that no oil or grease may be left on site, and that any vendor caught dumping oil or grease in a storm drain will be fined and not permitted back; and
WHEREAS, Those conducting the event must check for garbage, debris, and flyers on the streets and the sidewalks, and they must empty any garbage cans that become overflowing along the blocks in which the event is held, as well as along the blocks east and west – Fifth Avenue, Broadway & Park Avenue South – as well as both the north and south sides along 23rd Street from Broadway through Park Avenue South; and
WHEREAS, The applicant has agreed to reduce the sound level compared to previous years, that none of the fifteen vendors will have loud music or sound amplified from their booths, and to explore the possibility to use multiple smaller speakers rather than two larger speakers, as means to lessen the noise impact; and
WHEREAS, Although the Board has asked the applicant if they would consider ending the use of amplification at or before 5:30 PM, for this year’s event, the applicant has agreed to limit the use of its amplified sound system to a maximum of 2 ½ hours, from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM, and
WHEREAS, The applicant has agreed that should they seek permission to conduct this event after 2008, they will revise their event schedule so that use of amplification at will be for a maximum of 2 ½ hours and will end at or before 5:30 PM; and
WHEREAS, The applicant has agreed to increase the number of volunteers handling the security of the event and the applicant has agreed to place volunteers to monitor the use of the playground to avoid improper use (prohibiting use of the playground by children older that 12 years old); and
WHEREAS, The applicant commits to not blocking access to the dog run in Madison Square Park; and
WHEREAS, The applicant has agreed not to discriminate against any group that wishes to participate to this event; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five urges New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to uphold the integrity of its performance and cleanliness bond processes by consistently requiring such bonds and not returning them to applicants whose events cause extensive damage to public parkland or jeopardize the safety of city workers, event participants, and other members of the public; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five recognizes that the annual Pakistan Day Parade & Fair continues to draw larger numbers of people each year, and because this taxes the capacity of this location, we encourage the applicant to start looking for an alternate venue for future events, and
furthermore Community Board Five strongly urges the City of New York Street Activity Permit Office, Department of Parks & Recreation and the New York Police Department to help the applicant identify an alternate venue; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Community Board Five recommends approval of the Pakistan Day Parade & Fair Committee Inc. applications for both a Street Activity Permit, and for a Special Event Permit to conduct the Pakistan Day Parade & Fair festival on Madison Avenue between 23rd and 26th Streets, and within Madison Square Park on Sunday, August 24, 2008.
The above resolution passed by a vote of 18 in favor; 16 opposed; 1 abstaining.