Council Approves Community Block Party Trailer Program
Aug 31, 2022 12:00AM ● By Story by Shaunna Boyd
The Community Block Party Trailer, which was recently approved by the City Council, will be fully stocked with all party essentials and available for community groups to rent. The trailer was purchased in July and is currently being wrapped and branded, with the planned design shown here. Image courtesy of the City of Citrus Heights
CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - At the August 25 meeting, the Citrus Heights City Council considered approval of the Community Block Party Trailer program. In May, Council allocated $50,000 from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for the purchase and outfitting of the trailer, which will be stocked with all the essentials needed to host community events, including tables, chairs, coolers, barricades and cones, lawn games, a small sound system, and trash containers. It will be available for rent by neighborhood associations, community service groups, nonprofits, and other groups that serve the community.
Offering a stocked event trailer for community use is intended to facilitate more community connection, which is one of the City’s strategic goals. The Community Block Party Trailer will be the first program rolled out by the newly formed Economic Development and Community Engagement Department. The City is currently recruiting for a management analyst position in this department, who will administer the registration and reservation process for the trailer. A communications officer will assist with program branding and promotion, and the General Services Department will coordinate trailer delivery and pickup.
The Community Block Party Trailer program will have eligibility requirements, and it will not be available for individual residents or businesses to rent for private celebrations. Community groups will have to complete an application to be added to the program database, and rental agreements and waiver forms must be signed to confirm reservations. There won’t be a rental fee, but applicants will have to cover the cost of event insurance, with the option of utilizing the insurance offered through the City. Applicants will also be responsible for getting all required approvals and/or permits to hold their event, such as road closure permits for block parties on public streets or owner approval for parties held on private property.
Although the program guidelines exclude individual residents from renting the trailer, Councilmember Jeannie Bruins asked about whether residents in a neighborhood unaffiliated with any established community groups or organizations could rent the trailer for a block party. She pointed out that the intention of the program is to foster more community involvement, which such an event would do.
Economic Development and Communications Manager Meghan Huber agreed that a neighborhood party would meet the goal of community connection, so staff would figure out a way to register the group.
Councilmember Bruins said, “I’m very happy to see that we’re going to do this, at least initially, without charge.” But she recommended that the City require a deposit, which would be returned to the applicant after the trailer is returned in the same condition it was received.
The Council voted unanimously to approve the Community Block Party Trailer program, which will launch in the fourth quarter of this year.
Council also considered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Low-Income Family Enrichment Corporation (the Life Foundation), a nonprofit that is currently under contract to purchase the Auburn Oaks assisted living facility at 7501 Sunrise Blvd.
The Life Foundation reached out to the City in June about pursuing a collaborative grant application through the Community Care Expansion (CCE) Program. With City sponsorship, the Life Foundation could be eligible for a $17 million grant that would allow them to purchase Auburn Oaks and permanently dedicate the facility to serving the low-income senior population.
City Manager Ashley Feeney explained that the property has been serving local seniors for decades. It was built in 1975 as a senior residential facility, and in the early 1980s it was partially converted into an assisted living facility. It was acquired by Partnership in 2020, with Goodwill leasing it in late 2020 for a combination of independent and semi-independent residential units.
City Manager Feeney said that the City’s partnership with the Life Foundation on this project will help keep seniors in safe, reliable housing by ensuring the property remains in service to the local senior community.
City Attorney Ryan Jones said that although the City would collaborate with the Life Foundation to pursue the CCE grant funding, the City would not contribute any funds to the project. Life Foundation would own the property and be responsible for all operation and management. But the City will have review and approval rights for changes in management companies operating the property.
Guidelines of the 20-year MOU stipulate that Life Foundation would provide community health education programs for youth and families in Citrus Heights and, depending on positive operating cash flow, Life Foundation will donate $100,000 annually to local nonprofits as directed by City Council. At the conclusion of the 20-year term, if the project is not renewed, the property could be sold, and all proceeds would be distributed to a fund dedicated to supporting local nonprofits as determined by City Council.
Councilmember Bret Daniels wanted to make sure the public was clear about the details of the project: “This is not a homeless shelter. … What this is, is the ability to step up and do what needs to be done.” He said this is a “great opportunity for seniors to have a place to live and not have to worry about where they’re going to live tomorrow.”
The Council voted unanimously to approve the MOU with the Life Foundation.