By Garth Meyer
The annual North Redondo Springfest at the Performing Arts Center has been canceled.
Organizers said they cannot afford police and fire service costs, which the city previously waived for signature events such as Springfest.
The festival was scheduled for April 21-24.
The waived costs were eliminated in 2020 as part of city budget cuts related to the pandemic.
This year’s fees would have totaled $28,999.50, which is more than the event makes, according to longtime North Redondo Beach Business Association (NRBBA) board member Donald Szerlip. The bills would have been $15,650 for rental of the Performing Arts Center parking lot; $9,990 for 74 staff police hours; $3,240 for 36 hours of fire department standby; and $169 for fire inspections.
Ending event subsidies saved the city $100,000.
“It’s now the operators’ responsibility to reimburse us, and it’s expensive,” said City Manager Mike Witzansky. “It’s a taxing bill. I do believe we’ll be revisiting this.”
“We understand it, but it’s a little disappointing,” said Tommy Immer, president of the NRBBA, which organizes Springfest. “They’ve got things they have to deal with. And Covid certainly didn’t help.”
Springfest, which featured a full carnival, was not held in 2020 or 2021, due to the pandemic.
The next fiscal-year city budget discussions begin shortly. The city council is required to pass a new budget each June.
Other events the city no longer waives fees for include the Super Bowl 10K/5K, and the King Harbor Holiday Boat Parade. No other cancellations have been announced.
Witzansky noted that for certain activities in the future there may be ways to reduce costs by using a combination of police and private security.
Proceeds from Springfest supported causes such as scholarships for Redondo Union High graduates, the North Branch Library and NRBBA events to promote community and commerce in North Redondo.
“We would like to see Springfest return, but it has to make financial sense,” Szerlip said. ER
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