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Update on Dublin CREATE Program
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TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Colleen Tribby, City Manager
Prepared By: Anthony Calvo, Recreation Supervisor
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
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The City Council will receive a report on the Dublin CREATE Program, which consolidated the former Cultural Event Fee Waiver Program and Arts Space Grant Program. The report provides an overview of the program, summarizes fee waivers approved to date, and outlines the permitting, facility use, and operational requirements that approved events must still meet. The report also provides information on the Staff time required to review, coordinate, and support approved events.
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STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
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recommendation text
Receive the report.
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FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The program provides fee waivers for applicable Special Event Permit applications and facility use fee waivers for approved events. Since 2025, four cultural event fee waivers totaling $9,520 have been approved: $3,877 for two events held to date and $5,643 for two upcoming events. These totals reflect waived fees only and do not include the Staff time required to review, coordinate, and support each event.
DESCRIPTION:
Background
The Dublin CREATE (Community Resources for the Arts, Together & Everywhere) Program is a consolidation of two City grant programs that assisted individuals and organizations in providing a variety of arts programming and cultural celebrations in Dublin. The Arts Space Grant Program, established in 2016, provided the use of City facilities and the Dublin High School Center for Performing Arts and Education free of charge for a certain period. The Cultural Event Fee Waiver Program, established in 2025, provided free City space as well as limited Staff assistance and marketing to groups hosting cultural events.
In May 2026, Staff established the Dublin CREATE Program to combine the two grant programs into one function for ease of management, marketing, and reporting. The grant provisions approved by the City Council remain the same.
Dublin CREATE Program Overview
The Dublin CREATE Program provides a unified framework for supporting a broader range of arts and cultural programming in Dublin through in-kind support, including facility use, exhibition space, and limited promotional support. The program includes two tiers of support:
1. Arts Program Facility Use
This tier supports smaller-scale arts programming, such as exhibits, performances, workshops, and classes. Eligible applicants may receive one fee waiver per calendar year, covering use of designated City facilities for up to 40 hours, or up to six weeks for art exhibits, subject to availability. Staff reviews and approves requests based on application completeness, eligibility, facility availability, and the level of impact on staffing and City resources. Low-impact programming is generally limited to using a City room or facility and can be coordinated by a single department with minimal Staff involvement. Requests that require coordination with more than one City department or multiple planning meetings with Staff may be referred to the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission (HCAC) for consideration.
2. Cultural Event Facility Use
This tier supports larger community cultural events, including festivals and heritage celebrations. Requests may include waivers of Special Event Permit and facility use fees and may require coordination with multiple City departments depending on event size and operational needs. Only one cultural event per quarter may receive a fee waiver, and each organization may receive one fee waiver per calendar year.
Nonprofit organizations must submit requests for cultural event fee waivers, which are evaluated based on cultural significance, community benefit, alignment with City goals, and resource availability. Applicants must comply with applicable City requirements, including insurance, permits, deposits, and operational guidelines. Applicants must also present their proposal to the HCAC approximately four months before the start of the quarter in which the event is proposed.
Cultural event fee waiver requests follow the schedule below:
|
Quarter |
Event Dates |
Application Deadline |
HCAC Presentation |
|
Q1 |
Jan 1 - Mar 31 |
Aug 15 (preceding year) |
September (preceding year) |
|
Q2 |
Apr 1 - Jun 30 |
Nov 15 (preceding year) |
December (preceding year) |
|
Q3 |
Jul 1 - Sep 30 |
Feb 15 (same year) |
March (same year) |
|
Q4 |
Oct 1 - Dec 31 |
May 15 (same year) |
June (same year) |
Program Administration
Fee Waiver Approval and Permitting
A Dublin CREATE Program fee waiver covers applicable fees and does not constitute approval of the event itself. Following approval of a fee waiver, the applicant must complete the City’s standard approval process. Depending on the event, this may include a Facility Rental Application for use of City facilities, a Sports Fields and Stager Gymnasium Rental Agreement for use of City sports fields or Stager Gymnasium, and a Special Event Permit for events held outdoors on City property or in City parks.
Approved events must meet the same requirements applicable to other facility rental or permitted events, including insurance, security deposits, and site plans. Depending on the event, they may also need Alameda County Fire and Environmental Health permits, security plans, and traffic control plans. Costs for City services beyond the waived fees, such as police services, traffic control, and maintenance, remain the applicant's responsibility.
Staff Time and Interdepartmental Coordination
Each approved event requires Staff time beyond the value of the waived fees. The level of effort varies based on event size, location, attendance, number of vendors, food service, and site setup. A smaller indoor event with few vendors may require approximately five hours of Parks and Community Services Staff time. A larger outdoor event with thousands of attendees, food vendors, tents, and stages may require 15 to 20 hours. These estimates do not include time spent by Police, Fire, Public Works, or other departments.
Application and Commission Review
Staff reviews each application to confirm nonprofit status, eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and whether the proposed cultural event duplicates an event already approved within the same quarter. Staff then coordinates the HCAC meeting to review the proposal, including agenda scheduling, preparation of Staff materials, meeting attendance, and documentation of the Commission’s decision.
Event Coordination
Following Commission approval, Staff reviews the application with applicable departments based on the event requirements. This may include Police, Fire, Public Works/Maintenance, and Alameda County Environmental Health as needed to review site suitability, event layout, vendors, tents, stages, electrical service, parking, traffic, trash and recycling, sound, lighting, and security-deposit requirements. Before the event, Staff reviews site plans, permits, and facility access; performs necessary inspections; and may provide on-site support on the event day for facility access, troubleshooting, and coordination with public safety or maintenance Staff.
Event Close-Out
Following the event, Staff reviews the site, addresses any damage or maintenance concerns, processes the security-deposit return as appropriate, and completes administrative close-out.
Recent Program Activity
Arts Program Facility Use
The City has not received any applications for arts space grants since 2024. Staff anticipates that the opening of the Dublin Arts Center will generate a renewed interest in this tier of the program, as there are a variety of spaces that can be used for this purpose.
Cultural Event Facility Use
The following cultural event fee waivers have been approved to date. Attendance reflects the total number of attendees over the course of each event, not the number present at one time.
|
Event/Organization |
Date |
Location |
Approval Type |
Attendance |
Fees Waived |
Staff Hours* |
|
Odisha Dibas Celebration**/ Odisha Society of the Americas - California Chapter |
May 4, 2025 |
Don Biddle Park |
Special Event Permit + Facility Use |
6,000 |
$1,837 |
20 |
|
Spring Gala / Silicon Valley Asian Association |
Feb 14, 2026 |
Dublin Senior Center |
Facility Use |
300 |
$2,040 |
5 |
|
Dublin Diwali*** / Tri-Valley Hindu Connect |
Nov 7, 2026 |
Emerald Glen Park |
Special Event Permit + Facility Use |
6,000 |
$2,926 |
15 |
|
Global Connections*** /Dublin Sister City Association |
Jan 23, 2027 |
Dublin Senior Center |
Facility Use |
200 |
$2,717 |
5 |
|
Total |
12,500 |
$9,520 |
45 |
* Staff Hours include only Parks and Community Services Staff and do not include time spent by Police, Fire, Public Works, or other City departments.
** The Odisha Dibas Celebration was approved as a pilot before the quarterly application schedule was established.
*** Upcoming event; attendance, fees waived, and Staff hours are estimates.
Recurring Cultural Events and Program Limits
In addition to events approved through the CREATE Program, the City accommodates one annual Holi event and one annual Diwali event through the program, with the same general provisions discussed above. These events do not count toward the program’s limit of one approved cultural event per quarter. The Dublin Senior Center has also historically partnered with a local group to host an annual Lunar New Year celebration with City support for the event. This celebration is managed separately from the CREATE Program.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
None.
NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH:
The City Council Agenda was posted.
ATTACHMENTS:
1) Dublin CREATE Program Guide