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Parks & Public Spaces
Applications from Madison Square Park Conservancy for their annual roster of programming for 2015
WHEREAS, Madison Square Park Conservancy ("Applicant") has submitted applications for their annual roster of programming for 2015, comprised of the following events:
- Kids' Events: Kids' Workshops on Saturday mornings from June 20 through August 2; Madison Square Kids music program in the Oval Lawn on Thursday mornings from May 28 through July 30; Kids' Fest Fall park-wide on Saturday, October 17, all free of charge and open to the public;
- Music Events: The Summer concert series in the Oval Lawn on Wednesday afternoons and evenings from June 24 through July 29; The Fall Music Studio programs on the south gravel area on Saturday afternoons from Sept 12 through October 10, all free of charge and open to the public;
- Fundraisers: Celebrate Flatiron Chefs on the south gravel area on July 14; The Annual MSPC "Party in the Park" in the Oval Lawn on May 18; The MSPC "Barkfest" Fundraiser, date TBA;
- Shake Shack Events (Conducted in the gravel area adjacent to the concession): Credit Suisse annual event on June 18; Pentagram annual event on September 22; O'Donnell annual event on September 9;
- Madison Square Reads: author readings on Thursday evenings from September 17 through October 8, all free of charge and open to the public;
- Annual Tree-Lighting Event on the north end on Tuesday, December 8, free of charge and open to the public; and
WHEREAS, There are additions to Applicant's programming roster from past years, namely the Saturday morning Kids Workshops, the Madison Square Reads events, and the afternoon Summer music events, which are to take place on the same days as the long-standing evening Music Series, sharing the same setup and installation in such a manner as to minimize the impact of setup and improve public access to the Oval Lawn on event days from prior years; and
WHEREAS, There are eliminations from Applicant's programming roster from past years, namely the park-wide Kids Fest Spring Event, as well as two days of the Summer music series; and
WHEREAS, In response to community concerns, Applicant has committed to refrain from scheduling the "Barkfest" Event on any weekend which would place it in a consecutive weekend as any large event (i.e post-parade events or the Big Apple BBQ), pursuant to Community Board Five's Policy on Large Events; and
WHEREAS, Applicant commits to appear before Community Board Five separately for the purpose of reviewing any marketing or commercial events, subject to Community Board Five's standard review process and public hearings; and
WHEREAS, There is long-standing precedent for these events in Madison Square Park and Community Board Five has found a significant amount of support for these events from residents and stakeholders in the community; and
WHEREAS, Applicant has agreed that if there are any material changes to any event from previous years (i.e., signage, set-up, scale, location, and/or ancillary activities), they will return and present these changes to Community Board Five; and when presenting future event applications, that they will clearly state whether or not these events are occurring concurrently with previously approved special events; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the applications from Madison Square Park Conservancy for their annual roster of programming for 2015.