Fairs Year-round Information   March 2K19
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On the Calendar:

CFSA 2018 By-the-Numbers:
 

Take a look at some of CFSA's accomplishments in 2018.   


 

Monthly Reminders:

  • Help CFSA Help You: Send your Fairgrounds' March Contract Logs to CFSA.
     
  • Progress Reports: Keep your fair's Risk Control specialist in the loop about Pre-Fair Inspection Report repairs, improvements and plans of action.

Interested in receiving funding from the SB5 Bond Measure grant? The deadline for getting your completed facility condition assessment forms to California Construction Authority (CCA) is a little more than one week away. This is your opportunity to submit details for up to five critical needs projects in the areas of infrastructure needs, capital improvements and/or deferred maintenance.

Y our project information will be used by CCA and the California Department of Food & Agriculture's Fairs & Expositions Branch to create a fairgrounds facility master project list that will be used in making grant selections. 

In early February, CCA alerted all California fairgrounds about this assessment project, which was initiated by the passage of the SB5 Bond Measure and the inclusion of California's fairs in this year's state budget. Along with the notification memo, CCA also provided a comprehensive information packet that included project list details, guidelines, project timelines, grant category descriptions, instructions for completing the Facility Condition Assessment form, a sample of a completed form (with sample photos), and a blank assessment form that can be copied for each project to be submitted.

For projects to be adequately funded, it is imperative to have correct project descriptions, measurements and estimates. As noted in the memo, fairs are not expected to complete the assessments on their own and you will find information throughout the assessment process where outside expertise is available. Plus, at any time, the staff at CCA is ready to assist -  contact Marcus Lee at 916/263-6101 or  [email protected]
 
CFSA is also available to help:  Keep any areas of concern identified by CFSA's Risk Control specialists in mind as you begin the self-assessment of your fairgrounds' conditions. If you need help with supporting documentation for an improvement project you'd like to submit to CCA based on a CFSA inspection, contact your CFSA Risk Control specialist or Tom Amberson, CFSA Risk Department manager, at 916/263-6180 or [email protected].

Please email your completed forms to Marcus at CCA, [email protected] or mail to: California Construction Authority, Attn: Marcus Lee, 1776 Tribute Road, Suite 220, Sacramento, CA 95815. The deadline is Sunday, March 31.

Note:  Turning in a facility condition assessment of critical need projects at your fairgrounds is optional; however, it is a requirement if your fair wishes to receive grant funding or future funding for deferred maintenance projects. Fairs without real property are ineligible for the SB5 Bond Measure grant. 

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Join us in Sacramento!
Are you a New Fair CEO on the Job for Two Years or Less? The New CEO Orientation is for You! Wednesday and Thursday, April 10 and 11
 
Hosted by California Fair Services Authority (CFSA), California Construction Authority (CCA), Western Fairs Association (WFA) and CDFA's Fairs & Expositions (F&E) Branch, the orientation kicks off with a day at the Fair Services Building, home to CFSA, CCA and WFA. You'll meet agency staff and get an overview of each agency's responsibilities. You'll also learn about the resources available to you from CFSA, CCA and WFA, and how these three agencies and F&E work together on conferences, conventions, training opportunities, and much more.

You'll spend Thursday in downtown Sacramento at the CDFA offices, meeting with staff from F&E and CDFA. You'll enjoy a Continental breakfast followed by sessions on everything from California State Rules to Financial Reporting and Board Meetings 101.
If you are a new or new-ish fair CEO who has been on the job for a few weeks, a few months or even a year or two, this orientation is designed for you! Registration forms, hotel information and agenda details were emailed this week. If you haven't received an invitation and are interested in attending, please contact Melissa Thurber at CFSA. You can reach her at 916/ 263-6163 or [email protected].
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Fun Fact: In 2018, CFSA's Risk Control Specialists Drove More than 55,000 Miles to Work One-on-One with California's Fairgrounds.      

Driving the equivalent of more than two times around our lovely planet to help ensure California's fairgrounds are safe havens for fair employees and the event-going public is just one of the many ways CFSA's staff was working for pool program participants in 2018.  Just like California's fairgrounds, CFSA's staff is busy year-round providing fairs with robust risk control and risk management programs, and business and financial support services. 

We wanted to share some of our activity highlights and achievements from last year with you, so we created this By-the-Numbers tour and posted it on our website.  Take a look!  

If your fairgrounds isn't taking full advantage of all CFSA has to offer, please give us a call or send us an email: 916/921-2213 or [email protected].

We are here for you!

Remember to Send a Copy of Your Fairgrounds' Monthly Contract Log to CFSA by the 15th of Every Month

Has your fairgrounds sent its March contract log to CFSA yet? If you have, thank you for helping us help you keep claims costs down! If you haven't, please do so as soon as you can. This General Liability Pool requirement asks that all General Liability pool program participating fairs fax or email a copy of their monthly contract logs to CFSA. Doing so by the 15th of each month gives Mario Castagnola, CFSA's risk analyst,  ample time to review your log and to get back to you if there are any questions. Fax your contract logs to: 916/263-6159, Atten. Mario or email them to Mario at:  [email protected].

We know you're busy and that this is one more thing to squeeze into your day, but we wouldn't ask you for the logs unless they played an important role in reducing claims costs, in protecting your fair's loss history and in keeping annual pool fees down. And they do!  ( To see an example of a  contract log, please contact Mario using the information above.)
 


Keep Your CFSA Risk Control Specialist in the Loop with Post Facility Inspection Updates

After you have repaired, adjusted or developed a plan of action for any problematic areas identified in your fairgrounds' CFSA Pre-fair Inspection Report, and before your fair or event takes place, remember to send a copy of the correction sheet with the current status of the recommended actions noted.  (The correction sheet is attached to your Pre-fair Inspection Report.) 

Then, when your Risk Control specialist returns to your fairgrounds during the fair or after, he or she knows they can focus on other safety needs such as staff training, instead of using valuable time going over what they just went over.

Have questions about your fairgrounds' report or not sure where to begin? Contact your fair's Risk Control specialist or Tom Amberson, Risk Department manager, at 916/263-6180 or at [email protected].      


Thank you for reading the  fyi newsletter. If there is something we can do to make  fyi more valuable to you, please  let us know: [email protected].
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