Woodstock Town Board Meeting January 13, 2009, Part Two

This article appeared in the Townsman, January 15 edition
(I apologize for the lack of proper sequence; part one is below after the Annual Townsman Quiz)

Woodstock, January 13, 2009


There were sharp disagreements at the public hearing that concerned the upcoming 2009 Farm Festival. Technically the hearing was to focus on a town board decision whether or not to close Maple Lane for eighteen Wednesdays from 2:00 to 10:00 PM from May until October to accommodate the Farm Festival, but comments from members of the public tended generally to express feelings about the Farm Festival per se.

Almost twenty people spoke on the matter, with fourteen expressing their strong support for another year of the event that attracted a number of venders of produce to set up at the Houst parking lot, coupled with entertainment and vending of other products on the adjacent Mower's field.

Robin Cramer, Misty Lucas and Matthew Ballister, each a shop owner in town, were critical of the Town "subsidizing" an event that had what they described a negative impact on their businesses.

Cramer asked the board to consider another location for the Festival, claiming event attendees take up available parking that makes it harder for people to shop at stores "that pay rent." She thought it highly unfair to give preference to an outside entity by letting them "cherry pick" the best time of the year for retail. When suggested by councilwoman Liz Simonson that the matter was a Chamber of Commerce issue, Cramer shot back, "I ripped up my membership. The Chamber does not represent me." She expressed her hope that the town board "will take local businesses into consideration."

Lucas presented a letter signed by a number of merchants pointing out that while the Town "subsidized" the Festival there were by her latest count 12 retailers that have gone out of business. She criticized the expenditure of $5000 in taxpayer dollars to pay for police traffic control. She also cited the parking as a problem. Speaking on behalf of businesses she concluded, "Forgive us if we are nervous about what is primarily a social event."

Ballister opened up his remarks by saying "The Festival is great, but not good for everybody." He reminded the board, "Last year the Festival was promoted as a benefit to everybody. It's not." Claiming as a resident taxpayer the event was costing him money to benefit venders that do not contribute to town organizations, such as little league baseball, he declared, "There is a really big wrong here. You can't bring another town into town once a week." He also pointed out the unfairness to businesses that had been forced to pay in-lieu-of-parking fees only to see those spaces taken up by Festival goers. Councilman Jay Wenk asked if he could come to Ballister's store and see the impact the Festival will have on his business. Showing some impatience Ballister reminded Wenk, "You were supposed to do that last year, remember?"

Barry Samuels, president of the Chamber of Commerce, defended the Festival. After expressing his support he suggested, "Let's try to solve the problems rather than it be either-or. Businesses should be proactive to attract business."

Other responses to the complaints by Cramer, Lucas and Ballister ranged from the suggestion by Dee Dee Halleck that Ballister should "set up a juice bar" at the Festival, to Peter Walther's declaration that "People have the right to use the streets and parking has always been a problem." Michael Veitch, Festival safety officer, announced that volunteers were being trained as traffic controllers and that the police service, and its attendant cost, would no longer be necessary.

Richard Goldman, attorney, landlord of four businesses (one recently shuttered), and officer of the Farm Festival, spoke of a "Good, productive first year." He thought that the "Petitioners should have come to us. We are all on the same side." He said the Farm Festival organization was actively thinking up strategies to get Festival goers into the local shops. "We need input from the businesses." He specifically invited Cramer, Lucas and Ballister to "sit down and work collectively on the issues."

The hearing was closed an hour after it had begun.