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Parks & Public Spaces
Application from Madison Square Park Conservancy for “Taste of Asia,” a Fundraising Event on October 6th, 2021
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, July 08, 2021, the following resolution passed with a vote of 26 in favor; 0 opposed; 4 abstaining:
WHEREAS, Madison Square Park Conservancy (the “Applicant”) has proposed a fundraising event “Taste of Asia: Celebrating NYC’s AAPI Communities” (the “Event”) to take place in Madison Square Park from 5:30pm to 8:30pm on Wednesday, October 6, 2021; and
WHEREAS, The Event consists of food tastings from 25 restaurants and chefs serving Asian-inspired cuisine; and
WHEREAS, The Event is a joint fundraiser with Apex for Youth and City Harvest in collaboration with Cote Korean Steakhouse; and
WHEREAS, The Event will take place in the southern half of the park; and
WHEREAS, The Event will be ticketed at a price of $1,000 for one ticket and $15,000 for twenty tickets, with proceeds being split amongst Applicant, Apex for Youth, and City Harvest; and
WHEREAS, The Event has an expected attendance of 800 to 1000 visitors; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant relies on fundraisers to support their park maintenance work and programs; and
WHEREAS, The Event is the only fundraiser that the Applicant plans to hold in 2021, reduced from their typical schedule of four fundraisers per year; and
WHEREAS, Load-in and load-out for the Event will take place on Tuesday, October 5 and Thursday, October 7, respectively; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant will close a small portion of a pedestrian pathway within the event footprint during the event setup on Tuesday, October 5, with the path being made available to the public by that evening; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant will close the park to the public from 7:00am on Wednesday, October 6 to 6:00am Thursday, October 7; and
WHEREAS, The Event will be similar to the “Celebrate Mad. Sq. Chefs” event, with similar signage, event layout, amplified sound, and waste management plans, which Community Board Five has a record of supporting; and
WHEREAS, The Event signage will be limited to 6 banners, each 6 feet tall and 2 feet wide and displaying the logo of the Applicant and of the respective restaurant or food provider; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant indicates that they will likely use four speakers to amplify ambient live music in a limited section of the event footprint dedicated to a small band, and has agreed to inform Community Board Five of final plans for use of amplified sound; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant has committed to spacing out grills to ensure that smoke dissipates quickly to minimize the exposure of the surrounding area to smoke and will cover the immediate surroundings with a surface that catches oil and grease for proper disposal; and
WHEREAS, The Event will be staffed by 100 people, including approximately 15 staff from the Applicant, 40 corporate volunteers, 25 chefs, and 20 staff from Union Square Events; and
WHEREAS, Although the Applicant has not yet secured a corporate sponsor for the event, the involvement of an eventual sponsor would include their logo on event materials, including the website, limited signage, and invitations, but would not permit the sponsor to distribute items on-site; and
WHEREAS, Although there are no current plans to film any portion of the event, the Applicant has agreed to immediately notify Community Board Five if any filming is to take place, to allow for a discussion of the release forms and signage that would be necessary; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the application from Madison Square Park Conservancy for “Taste of Asia,” a Fundraising Event on October 6th, 2021; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five requests that the Applicant immediately notify the Board if a corporate sponsor is secured, and provide the Board with updated plans for incorporating the sponsor’s branding into the event.