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Parks & Public Spaces
Application from Madison Square Park Conservancy for “LEGO Building Celebration,” a public event in Madison Square Park from Friday, October 10 through Monday, October 13, 2014
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, September 11, 2014, the following resolution passed with a vote of 35 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, Madison Square Park Conservancy (the "Applicant") has submitted an application to hold "Lego Building Celebration" (the "Event"), a public event to take place in Madison Square Park from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily from Friday, October 10 through Monday, October 13, 2014; and
WHEREAS, Set-up for the Event will commence at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 9, 2014 and breakdown and clean-up will be completed by 10:00 p.m. on Monday, October 13, 2014; and
WHEREAS, The Event will be open only to certain school groups on Friday, October 13, 2014 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the Event will be open to the general public at all other times; and
WHEREAS, The Event will consist of:
- the general public putting together LEGO building blocks, which will be assembled by LEGO "master builders" into a 20-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty (the "Statue"), and
- the general public assembling LEGO flowers, and
- a "free building area" for members of the general public to construct other items; and
WHEREAS, After the Event, the Statue will remain in Madison Square Park through October 19,2014, with associated signage providing educational information about the history of the (real) Statue of Liberty, and its connection to Madison Square Park; and
WHEREAS, The purpose of the Event is to welcome the LEGO Store to the neighborhood, and recognize and encourage LEGO's support of Madison Square Park Conservancy in realizing its mission to keep Madison Square Park clean, safe and active; and
WHEREAS, Signage will be limited to six signboards bearing the LEGO logo, with dimensions of 28" by 44", to be attached to the usual Madison Square Park signboards, and two signs with dimensions of approximately 2' by 3' with explanations about the Event; and
WHEREAS, The Event will not include any overhead signage; and
WHEREAS, Neither the Applicant nor any other party will distribute materials or samplings apart from those materials used by participants to construct the Statue, flowers and to "free build"; and
WHEREAS, Although a trailer will be placed on Madison Avenue for staging purposes, there will be negligible sanitation impact from the event; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant will take certain steps to ensure the safety of park users in proximity to the Statue, including the securing of a permit from the Department of Buildings; and
WHEREAS, Applicant may use a public address system to make announcements, but will not otherwise amplify music or any other sound or use a subwoofer; and
WHEREAS, The Event will be limited to the south-west gravel area of Madison Square Park, with all walkways to remain unobstructed; and
WHEREAS, Applicant states that the application is for a one-time event, not to recur; and
WHEREAS, Applicant is proposing an event which benefits the park and its users by:
- providing a unique, educational and artistic event in which the public may participate, and
- encouraging and strengthening the Applicant's neighborly relationship with LEGO, a valuable stakeholder and contributor to Madison Square Park; and
WHEREAS, Applicant adjusted their application in response to concerns and comments of the Committee, including reducing the footprint of the Event, reducing the amount of signage to be displayed in the park during the event, and including historical and educational information about the Statue of Liberty's connection to Madison Square Park; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the application from Madison Square Park Conservancy for "LEGO Building Celebration," a public event in Madison Square Park from Friday, October 10 through Monday, October 13, 2014.