HomeMy WebLinkAboutS26 - Survey of Potential Water Taxi PatronsAgenda Item No. S26
April 27, 2010
April 27, 2010 meeting
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Summer Water Taxi Exploratory Committee
Michael McNamara, Chairman
SUBJECT: SUMMER 2010 SURVEY OF POTENTIAL WATER TAXI PATRONS.
ISSUE:
Should the City Council consider appropriating up to $12,500 toward a professional
consultant to conduct a summertime survey of potential water taxi patrons if the Water
Taxi Committee is able to raise $12,500 or more as a matching challenge grant as part of
a Public Private project expected to cost $25,000?
RECOMMENDATION:
The City Council authorize the expenditure of up to $12,500 for the Water Taxi
Committee to contract with a professional marketing person or firm to conduct and
coordinate the summer 2010 survey of potential water taxi patrons at an expected cost of
approximately $25,000 upon the condition that the Committee is able to match the
council's funds with contributions from non city sources of $12,500.
Backeround
At your meeting of February 9, 2010 the City Council voted to defer distribution of an
RFP for the 2010 summer season water taxi and to allow the Committee to work with
interested parties to structure and find subsidized funding to conduct a survey in summer
2010 for possible distribution of an RFP in time for the summer 2011 season. The
committee and staff have contacted sources for alternative opportunities to conduct a
survey at "lower cost" or "no cost. These included piggy backing a few questions on the
City's proposed services survey or the "Visit Newport Beach" survey. It also included
student run programs from Cal State Fullerton and the University of California, Irvine.
All of these options alone had some problems. The school programs were primarily
scheduled to begin in September and finish in December. These surveys would
completely miss the summer tourists of July and August that appeared to be the prime
months for a water taxi and clearly a major target for our survey.
The piggy backing on the City's survey or the Visit Newport Beach survey presented
their own problems. With each of these surveys we would be limited to two or three
questions thus negating our ability to understand the support and demand information
from the survey. Although these no cost alternatives would not work as stand alone
surveys, they might be helpful if combined and coordinated with a professional survey.
We also had a presentation by a professional market researcher with a background in the
Marina Del Rey Water Taxi survey and the 2007 Newport Convention and Visitors
survey of tourists. She discussed the nuances of the survey process and what was
required to obtain statistically valid results. Those who heard the presentation were
convinced we needed a professional marketing person to conduct an intercept study
combined with a more conventional survey to obtain the kind of information needed to
measure the support and demand for a water taxi service. In addition her ability to
coordinate with the piggy back surveys would enhance the usefulness of the entire survey
process.
Therefore our action on April 14, 2010 was to vote unanimously to offer a challenge to
the City Council in the tradition of a public/ private undertaking to raise $12,500 of the
projected cost if the Council will do likewise. We view the potential economic impact of
a viable water taxi system on Newport Beach Harbor businesses to be substantial. We
believe the multiplier effect of $12,500 (yours and ours) would almost certainly be
positive.
On behalf of the Water taxi Committee I ask that you consider our challenge as soon as
possible to allow us to retain a consultant and conduct a summer 2010 survey.
The formal action of our committee is shown below.
John Robinson made a motion that the Committee request a matching "Challenge
Grant" from the City Council for an amount up to $12,500 if the Committee is
successful in raising $12,500 or more from private donors for the purpose of
employing a professional firm to create, administer, and analyze a demand and
use survey. John Corrough seconded the motion, and it was approved
unanimously by the Committee. Discussion of the motion included the
Committee's submittal of the request in the form of a letter to City Council. The
letter should include information on the potential economic multiplier effect of a
public water taxi service and be presented in time for hearing of budget requests.
Sincerely,
Michael McNamara
Chairman
Summer Water Taxi Exploratory Committee