By Khalida Sarwari
It appears the city will have to change the venue of its safety fair, planned for May, from the Joan Pisani Community Center to West Valley College, a decision that would result in spending a little more money than what the city had originally budgeted for the event.
According to a city report, it was a pre-existing facility scheduling conflict that prompted the move. Now, it’s looking at relocating the program to the Campus Center at West Valley College, which will run the city an extra $384 to hire a site supervisor for the duration of the event. Rental, setup and parking for attendees would all be free.
Before reserving the Campus Center, the Public Safety Task Force will need to figure out whether to hold the event in the morning or afternoon. Either way, it would run about three hours.
The program, slated for the third weekend in May, is expected to feature resource tables, activities for children and a number of public safety presentations on topics such as child seat safety, proper use of a fire extinguisher, creating a home emergency supply kit, fall prevention for older adults and home burglary prevention. Vehicles from the sheriff’s office and fire department will also be on display.
The fair came out of brainstorming sessions led by the city’s task force for the purpose of providing residents with public safety resources, such as crime prevention and bike safety. When the task force worked out the details of the event in September, it agreed to set aside $2,500 for the program. Now, it appears it will need closer to $2,900.
Organizers are putting together a fundraising plan to recoup those costs. The plan calls for charging a $250 sponsorship fee per resource table, with about a third of the tables reserved for government agencies and nonprofit groups. Sponsor applications for resource tables would be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
But first, the fundraising plan must undergo review by the task force, after which it—along with the task force’s budget requests—would go before the City Council on Dec. 6 for approval. With the council’s approval, organizers can start the application process for resource table hosts, including those that will be charged a $250 sponsorship fee, and begin developing outreach materials for the program. Those items would be presented to the task force in January.
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