Why Monrovia May End Its Contract With Friday Night Fair Operator And Hire Another Company

At its Tuesday, Aug. 4 meeting (agenda: http://goo.gl/1B2b9d ), the Monrovia City Council will consider its staff's recommendation (staff report: http://goo.gl/MPuQFJ ) to terminate the contract of the new Friday Night Fair operator, LA PartyWorks, and engage a new company called Greenleaf Events, Inc.


The City of Monrovia is charging that ...

"While LA PartyWorks has been able to successfully integrate several new elements into the Friday Night Family Street Fair – including enhanced live entertainment, updated signage, and the incorporation of several new appropriate vendors – the operator has also demonstrated an inability to adhere to basic regulations stipulated in their contract, while also being unable to work collaboratively with Event stakeholders."

And, at its  July 28 meeting ...

"the Oversight Committee unanimously recommended that the City Council terminate the agreement with LA PartyWorks and consider engaging a new vendor to operate the overall Event."

Here are some of the city's concerns:

"Operational Concerns

• Lack of development of a traffic control plan
• Event set-up and take-down procedures
• Provision of adequate and trained staff to coordinate and manage the Event
• Trash collection activities
• Provision of electrical power to all portions of the Event
• Implementation of an overall lighting plan for the Event
• Compliance with ADA regulations
• Reduction in size and number of vendors in the Certified Farmer’s Market section of the Event

Procedural Concerns

• LA PartyWorks operated a kettle corn vendor booth in direct competition with an Old Town Merchant
• LA PartyWorks prohibited all event vendors from selling water / soda and operated an exclusive vendor booth selling drinks
• LA PartyWorks impaired the operations of an Old Town Merchant’s vendor booth in order to gain an operational and competitive advantage for their own vendor booth
• LA PartyWorks resisted the requirement that they provide seating at the Event in an effort to impair the operations of an Old Town Merchant’s vendor booth
• LA PartyWorks added an inappropriate number of new food vendors which has resulted in increased competition with Old Town Merchants Reliability Concerns
• Concerns from Old Town Merchants, vendors, and Event stakeholders regarding how LA PartyWorks manages, coordinates, and produces the Friday Night Family Street Fair
• Inaccurate and conflicting representations by LA PartyWorks regarding their overall business plan / financial model regarding operation of the Event
• Concerns regarding the commitment that LA PartyWorks has to continuing the production of the Event"

That being said ...

"LA PartyWorks was able to correct most of the operational and procedural deficiencies identified."

And if the City Council wants to end the contract, staff has a replacement company in mind, Greenleaf Events, Inc., which ...

"has over 75+ years of experience coordinating and producing street fair, farmer’s market, music festival, car show, and other similar special events. The company currently produces a weekly Farmer’s Market in the City of Rosemead, and has also been engaged to operate
the Kiwanis’ Taste of Monrovia event."

- Brad Haugaard