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Calistoga officials say fairgrounds rental produced revenue but noise complaints prompt new event rules
Summary
City manager reported a well‑attended rental of the fairgrounds with revenue and some arrests; residents urged tighter noise rules and contract language after a large, loud event.
Calistoga city staff told the City Council that a recent rental of the fairgrounds drew about 2,000 attendees and produced more than $60,000 in booked RV park revenue for the remainder of the year, but also generated multiple noise complaints and a small number of arrests.
At the council meeting on Oct. 29, City Manager Greg Schneidman reported that the promoter of the Jarapeo event at the fairgrounds estimated about 2,000 attendees and that the city provided multiple layers of security, including private security and two Calistoga police officers paid by the organizer. Schneidman said, “For the most part, things went really well,” but added that the city logged one on‑site arrest, two DUI arrests and one car accident. Schneidman said dispatch logged a total of 20 noise complaints and that staff will conduct an interdepartmental debrief to develop more standard operating procedures for future events, “focusing particularly on communication and marketing with the public, and focusing also on the noise.”
During public comment, resident Mike Straka told the council the event was “an exceptionally loud event” that ran from about noon until 10 p.m. and compared the sound level to previous car races in town, saying amplified sound was “very disruptive” and urging the city to adopt clearer noise guidelines and to codify amplified‑sound limits into rental contracts. Schneidman confirmed staff met with several residents after the event and said the debrief will consider changes for future events.
The city also reported early success for fairgrounds operations: the city noted more than $60,000 in RV park bookings for the remainder of the year. Schneidman thanked volunteers and the mayor for recent volunteer work at fairgrounds facilities.
Council members did not take formal action on the report; Schneidman said staff will prepare standard operating procedures for future rentals and improvements to public communication and noise mitigation, and will return to council as appropriate.
Ending: The city will proceed with an internal debrief and produce recommended contract and operational changes for future fairgrounds rentals; residents who seek stricter noise controls urged the council to require explicit amplified‑sound limits in rental agreements.
