HomeMy WebLinkAboutUS Woman's Marathon and Half Marathon 11-23-2019STAFF REPORT
CITY OF PALM DESERT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
MEETING DATE: March 14, 2019
PREPARED BY: Vanessa Mager, Management Analyst
REQUEST: Approval of USA Woman's Marathon and Half Marathon Event
Recommendation
By Minute Motion, approve the following:
1. The USA Woman's Marathon & Half Marathon Event scheduled for Saturday,
November 23, 2019;
2. Proposed event route and road closures;
3. Temporary waiver to Palm Desert Municipal Code (PDMC) Section 11.01.140
(Amplified Sound);
4. Temporary waiver to Palm Desert Municipal Code (PDMC) Section 11.01.080 W
(Possession/Consumption of Alcohol in City Parks) pursuant to PDMC 9.58.040;
5. Temporary waiver to Palm Desert Municipal Code (PDMC) Section 11.01.080
(Prohibited Conduct Generally in City Parks, Item Q - Vendor Sales);
Strategic Plan Obiective
Approval of the USA Woman's Marathon & Half Marathon Event would impact the following
priorities outlined in the 2013-2033 Strategic Plan, Envision Palm Desert- Forward Together.
- Parks and Recreation Priority 3: Make recreational and exercise opportunities
available in all public spaces.
- Economic Development Priority 3: Create and attract entertainment and events to
enhance and expand the Palm Desert economy and lifestyle.
- Tourism and Marketing Priority 2: Grow existing events and develop new events to
enhance the desirability of Palm Desert as a year round destination.
Discussion
USA Endurance Events is requesting to hold the USA Women's Marathon & Half Marathon
Saturday, November 23, 2019 in Palm Desert. While this location will be a first for this event,
USA Endurance Events has eight years of experience with 5 annual Marathon and & Half
Marathons taking place in California, Idaho and Washington. This event is slated to attract
between 5,000 to 8,000 runners plus an additional 1,000 to 4,000 spectators to the City of
Palm Desert to take part in this "Runcation" event. Event producers have reached out to
several Palm Desert hotels, including the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa to be a
March 14, 2019 - Staff Report
Approval of USA Woman's Marathon and Half Marathon Event
Page 2 of 3
host hotel for this event. The course will be USATF certified and will be a Boston Marathon
qualifier and New York Marathon qualifier. This event will be marketed as a boutique
destination marathon & half marathon. USA Endurance Events has secured Lululemon and
Tiffany & Co. as sponsors of this event and have a booth space reserved at the Boston
Marathon to promote this event, if it is approved by City Council.
The event will start and end at the Palm Desert Civic Center Park where pre and post activities
will take place. Scheduled pre and post activities include prerecorded music and an award
ceremony (both of which require amplified sound), as well as a lifestyle expo focusing on
recreation and fitness (vendor sales). In addition, the event producer is requesting permission
to have a gated beer garden which, if approved, will require a permit from the Department of
Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) for the sale of alcohol.
Provided below are pertinent details relative to the courses, public safety, and traffic control
for the event:
Marathon & Half Marathon Course: The marathon course will begin and end at the
Palm Desert Civic Center Park and will require full closure of San Pablo from Fred
Waring to Magnesia Falls, as well as a full closure of Magnesia Falls Drive from Portola
Avenue to Monterey Avenue. The course will also require closure of the lane adjacent
to the curb at the following locations: northbound Monterey Avenue from Magnesia
Falls to Country Club, eastbound Country Club to Portola, southbound Portola to
Hovley Lane East, southbound Warner Trial to Fred Waring. Then from Fred Waring
to Civic Center Park, westbound lane adjacent to the curb and the middle lane will be
closed. Half Marathoners will do this route once and Marathoners will repeat the route
a second time.
Public Safety: Extensive police services are required for this event in order to ensure
public safety on the road. Staff will work with Palm Desert Citizens on Patrol (COPS)
utilizing their volunteers along the course to help offset the cost of public safety
services. Upon approval of the event, staff will work with the event producer, the police
and fire departments to ensure that an appropriate level of traffic control and public
safety services are planned for the event.
Traffic Control/Impacts: Upon approval of the event, staff will work with the event
producer and appropriate City departments to ensure approval of a finalized traffic
control plan. Additionally, staff will ensure that arrangements are made with the
College of the Desert and SunLine Transit Agency due to respective impacts of the
event. Since part of the course does cross into the City of Indian Wells city limits, staff
has already meet with the Director of Public Works and Senior Engineer for the City
of Indian Wells and has received their approval of the course, pending Palm Desert
City Council approval. Businesses and residents along the course will experience
short periods of delayed access as runners pass through the area. However, where
possible, the road closures/barricades setup along the course will allow
residents/drivers to proceed through with the assistance of a designated public safety
officer/COPS volunteer. In addition, traffic control cleanup will follow the last runner to
ensure that roads open in a timely manner.
March 14, 2019 - Staff Report
Approval of USA Woman's Marathon and Half Marathon Event
Page 3 of 3
Fiscal Analvsis
There is no direct fiscal impact to the City associated with this request. USA Endurance
Events will be responsible for all costs related to the event.
Indirect impacts are anticipated in the form of increased sales tax and transient
occupancy tax, since this is a weekend that is not typically considered high season.
LEGAL DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT FINANCIAL CITY
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW MANAGER
Not
Not Applicable
Applicable
C---
Robert W. Thomas Soule Martin Alvarez Tom Garcia Janet Moore Lauri Aylaian
Hargreaves Tourism and Director of Director of Director of City Manager
City Attorney Marketing Economic Public Works Finance
Manager Development
APPLICANT: USA Endurance Events
Mrs. Lee Ann Yarbor
9502 Trevors Court
Lakeside, California 92040
ATTACHMENTS: None