Memo- Downtown Park Stage
Memorandum
Public Works Department
To:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
Copy:
Steve Mielke, City Manager
Steve Stadler, Public Works Director csG>
From:
Date:
June 5, 1997
Subject:
Downtown Park Stage
The Public Works Department supports community events requiring approximately 12 portable
stage setups and takedowns/season. The portable stage is 10 years old and has become very
difficult and labor intensive to assemble. Additionally, the risk of an accident has increased as
workers struggle to try to get adjacent seCtions of the stage to fit together. As a result, Public
Works has proposed that a permanent stage be constructed in Downtown Park. This would
eliminate 8 of the 12 annual stage setups & takedowns, enhance the park, and draw more
attention and use to the park. The current CIP includes $31,200 in 1997 for construction of a
stage platform and access walks and $24,000 in 1998 for construction of a stage roof. However,
there wasn't support to proceed with a 1997 project. The project is being proposed in the 1998-
2002 CIP and, if approved, could be built in 1998.
If a permanent stage were built in Downtown Park, our need to setup the portable stage would
drop to about 4 times per season. With this decreased use, we could delay purchase of a new
stage to a future year. However, Public Works could budget $10,000 in 1998 for purchase of ADA
ramps for use with the current stage or budget money to rent a lift, as needed. The estimated total
replacement cost for the current portable stage including new ADA ramps is $25,000.
An alternative for funding would be to solicit donations from non-profits for purchase of the ADA
ramp and/or new stage.
Another option that has been considered in the past has been the purchase of a portable, fully
enclosed, trailer unit sometimes referred to as a "showmobile". Public Works would prefer that
this option not be pursued. We believe that the support necessary to properly store, operate and
maintain this type of unit would exceed the current system and become greater each year.
Public Works requests City Council support to construct a permanent stage in Downtown Park, to
upgrade the current stage in a future year, and to make accommodation for accessibility needs on
an as-needed basis by renting a portable lift until a new stage with ramp is purchased.