Beaumont approves amended MOU to co-sponsor 2025 Cherry Festival, authorizes traffic-control contract

The Beaumont City Council on April 29 approved an amended memorandum of understanding (MOU) among the City of Beaumont, the Cherry Festival Association (CFA) and the Beaumont Cherry Valley Recreation and Park District to co-sponsor the 2025 Cherry Festival and authorized the deputy city manager to sign a traffic-control contract with AWP if the cost is within the city manager—s signing authority.

The council approved the measure by roll call vote 5-0. Council member White moved the action and the mayor seconded; council members Fenn, Martinez, White, Mayor Pro Tembois and Mayor Laura voted yes.

The amendment responds to an insurance shortfall identified when the CFA could not meet the parks district—s insurance requirements under the original MOU. Under the amendment, the CFA will provide a certificate showing $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate; the city will supply secondary coverage, and the combined coverage target for the event is a $5,000,000 per-occurrence and $10,000,000 aggregate level if CFA insurance lapses. City staff said the city—s self-insurance retention is $250,000 and that excess coverage extends up to $25,000,000.

City staff told the council the city previously donated $100,000 that was earmarked for the entertainment vendor. Council questions and staff responses also outlined past operating costs the city absorbed: police overtime reimbursement to the city from the festival was about $57,678 last year, and transit operations cost roughly $4,500 last year. Staff said transit and some other event costs were not reimbursed in full and that this year—s special-event insurance is a new line-item; staff identified a special-event insurance quote of about $13,000 in the staff report.

The parks district will arrange payment to the AWP traffic-control contractor; the CF A and the parks district will manage use of school parking lots for overflow on Saturday and Sunday only. City staff said the Noble Creek parking lot on the north side will be used and that the city will not charge for that parking. The parks district will be named as an additional insured and will receive certificates of insurance 10 days before the event.

Mickey Valdivia, general manager of the Beaumont Cherry Valley Recreation and Park District, said the district does not have a contract with AWP and is acting as a conduit to connect the CFA and the city to traffic-control services: "I do not have a contract with AWP. We're simply the conduit to connect the city as well as, Cherry Festival Association, to that, opportunity." Valdivia also reiterated that the district's insurance requirements derive from its risk pool—s underwriting process rather than a district decision on coverage levels.

Ari, a representative of the Cherry Festival Association, told the council that the Johnson property owner declined permission for use of a private road at 2 p.m. the day of the meeting. "He, unfortunately, at 2 p. M. this afternoon did not grant us permission to use the road," Ari said, adding that the CFA had obtained special-event insurance and was finalizing a corrected certificate to provide to the city.

Council member Martinez stressed the need for clearer, earlier collaboration among the three partners going forward: "...this is a 3-way partnership now," Martinez said, urging the creation of a detailed, early budget and responsibility split for future festivals.

Dan Hughes, vice chair of the Beaumont Cherry Valley Recreation and Park Department, asked the council to memorialize a post-event debrief; council members said they would meet 30 days after the festival to review operations and planning for next year. The item on the council agenda included indemnification language; staff summarized section 9.4 of the draft MOU stating that each party will indemnify the others for third-party claims attributable to that party's negligence and that CFA—s insurance will be primary with city coverage following.

Mayor Pro Tembois moved to approve the amended MOU and permit the deputy city manager to sign the agreement and any AWP contract within the city manager—s signing authority; the motion carried unanimously. The council adjourned at 5:37 p.m.

The council discussed logistics including shuttle pickup locations (school district properties and the sports park were discussed as options), access off Cougar and Oak Valley Parkway, and continued coordination between police, fire and public works to preserve an emergency access path while managing festival traffic.