Permits
2008
Block Party Permit
The block party permit is filed with Southeast Uplift along with a $5 processing fee. This is what lets us shut down 10th Ave for Geek Fair. More information, including forms for the permit, can be found on Southeast Uplift's Block Parties page. The completed paperwork for SEUL can be submitted in person at SEUL's office.
Cost: $5
Status:
Event Insurance
Southeast Uplift will provide insurance for the event.
Noise Permit
The noise permit is provided by Portland's Bureau of Development Services. It requires that a Noise Variance Application (found on BDS' Application Forms page be completed and submitted with the appropriate fee for the event. Check can be made out to City of Portland.
Cost: $58
Status:
Fire Marshal
Acquiring a Fire Permit involves submitting a completed Application for Public/Special Events (which is provided by Portland Fire & Rescue here) and a check for the appropriate fee to the Fire Marshal's office on 1300 S.E. Gideon (conveniently located a few blocks from Free Geek). Once completed, the application and check for the appropriate fee, made out to Portland City Treasurer, can be submitted in person.
Square footage info for fire permit: the area of 10th Ave. we are having closed for Geek Fair is 13500 sq. ft. (60' x 225'), including the sidewalks. The parking lot is 5000 sq. ft. Total outdoor area is 18500 sq. ft. If we estimate the indoor area we'll be using for the event at 5000 sq. ft., this puts us at 23,500 sq. ft., just under the 25,000 sq. ft. limit for the $150 fee.
Cost: $150
Status:
OLCC Permit
We need to apply for a Temporary Sales License from the OLCC (all the applications and guides for it are here). For various reasons, we are treating the bar area as a separate event from Geek Fair, and so the license application should be filed as such. It will cost $50 to get a Temporary Sales License for an entire day.
Permit needs to be submitted to Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement (more info here for approval before it can go to the OLCC. This involves taking the paperwork to the ONI offices and submitting a payment of $35 (check can be made out to City of Portland) to them. After they endorse the paperwork, we can submit it, in person or via mail, to the OLCC with a $50 check (made out to OLCC) for the license.
Cost: $50 + $35 for ONI
Status:
Temporary Restaurant Permit
- Process:
- Print out application here: http://www.mchealthinspect.org/tempfood.html
- Coordinate with Redwing to complete application
- Mail in at least 2 weeks prior to event.
2007
Block Party Permit
Coordinator: Sergio
Status: SUBMITTED 6/19, COMPLETE 7/10
The permit is ours, and it will be picked up from the Bureau for Development Services soon. Our insurance is being provided by Southeast Uplift thanks to HAND's endorsement of the event.
This permit cost us nothing to acquire.
Event Insurance
We have been covered by HAND in the past, although this requires attending a neighborhood association meeting and giving them a letter which lets them know why our event is a neighborhood-based event. Here's the copy of the letter shawn wrote for 2007:
June 29, 2007
To: the Board of the Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood Association
Re: Geek Fair and its place in the neighborhood
Greetings,
Free Geek is a 501(c)3 dedicated to reusing donated technology in order to benefit those in need. We are located in HAND, at 1731 SE 10th Avenue. Our volunteers build computers, receive hardware donations, and disassemble computer equipment in order to learn about computers and earn a free computer from us in exchange for their time. Free Geek was founded in 2000, and has steadily grown, becoming more stable and well-known throughout Portland. Predictably, a relatively large percentage of our hardware donors live in the 97214 area code, as word of our programs and services spread quickly to those who live close to our facility.
Geek Fair is Free Geek's annual street fair celebrating our healthy geeky community, as well as like-minded, eco-friendly and innovative organizations and communities in Portland. We expect the event to draw 700-1,000 participants in this, its 7th, year. Many of the businesses in HAND have consistently made Geek Fair a fun, innovative event by donating silent auction prizes, hosting activities during the fair, donating food and volunteers, and displaying event posters. Likewise since word is spread most easily to local residents and businesses about the event, many of our fair-goers are from the neighborhood.
Therefore, we urge you to support this locally-minded, community event by lending HAND's event insurance to it.
Thanks for your time,
geeky you
In addition, here is a list of things HAND needs to know before they will endorse us:
- Date and time of the event
- Purpose of the event
- What street(s) will be involved
- Involvement of alcohol sales