by Kirby Lindsay, posted 3 July 2013
The Fremont Chamber of Commerce (FCC) Board meets on the last Wednesday of every month. At its June 26th meeting, Vice-President Marko Tubic opened the meeting by restating the FCC mission – to strengthen the business climate and improve the quality of life in the Fremont area.
Four days before the meeting, power went out at a broad swath of businesses (commercial and industrial) around Fremont. The FCC Board spoke at length about ways to address the power outages, in addition to the expected review of the Fremont Fair, which also took place four days before.
Outrage Over Outage(s)
According to Pete Hanning, an owner of the Red Door, the power loss on Saturday, June 22nd, started around 8p and continued for approximately an hour and a half. This being the biggest day of the Fair, Hanning estimated his losses at far, far more than those he suffered on June 4th, when his building had partial power outages for nearly the entire business day (9a – 5p.)
The loss of inventory, due to refrigeration outages, was significant on both days. The loss of business on June 22nd was more painful as Hanning had clear customers from his full bar due to safety issues, and then wait at least two hours after the power returned before the bar filled with customers again.
The Board agreed that both power outages, and a few others over the last two years, need to be explained by Seattle City Light. The reason for the outage on June 22nd had not, as of the meeting, been explained – nor has the reason it took eight hours to restore power on June 4th. The Board agreed to push for explanations on these devastating outages – and the possibility for account credits. As Hanning pointed out, in the private sector, such a lapse would result in someone losing their job. In the public sector, such accountability and acknowledgement seems absent.
A Fair Vote
Other than the power outage – which didn’t affect the Fair – the Fremont Fair was declared “amazing” by FCC Executive Director Jessica Vets. The Fair beer gardens tapped a record 138 kegs, Vets reported. Shoppers saw a lower number of vendor booths than previous years, she explained, due primarily to date conflicts. While no official count was taken, Vets observed that attendance at the Fair was up.
The FCC Board also discussed the success of balloting the art cars at the Seattle Art Car Blowout (SACBO) – an independent event held within the fairgrounds that draws hundreds of visitors to the Fair. As one Board Member exclaimed, “the Art Cars were packed!” In an effort to raise money for SACBO, the Fair attempted a pay-per-vote campaign. For a suggested donation of $1 a ballot, SACBO attendees gave their opinions – and donated $867.32 to the event.
…And The Parade
The Fremont Arts Council Solstice Parade took place at 3p this year, rather than Noon, as the City of Seattle Special Events Committee regulated when they issued the permit. According to Vets, the Fair’s producer, Phil Megenhardt of Bold Hat Productions, liked the later start time and said it works for the Fair. On July 9th, at 7:10p, the FAC will hold its monthly meeting and will hopefully reach a consensus on which time they want to roll next year.
The Parade did take place on the sunny, and warm, day of the Fair. Several Chamber members heard complaints and concerns about the larger than normal numbers of naked people walking around the Fair, the neighborhood and into businesses after the Parade.
The FCC Board also discussed, at length, ways to raise money to fund the Parade. Like SACBO, the Parade attracts people to the Fair, and the Board agreed that it should be supported. However, a beer garden planned along the parade route – and administered by the FAC – met serious objections from several bar owners, and Chamber members. Additionally, notification about the location of the beer garden was not issued to neighbors, as the FAC promised to do earlier.
FCC Board Members discussed hosting fundraisers – perhaps monthly and at bars that complained – in advance, to raise money for the Parade. A video of the previous parade could be shown to raise awareness of the awesomeness that is the Solstice Parade.
Rock N Roll Issues
During Fremont Fair weekend, the Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon also took place. On Saturday morning, through early afternoon, the marathon shut down major arterials through Downtown Seattle and near the Seattle Center. According to Tubic, some clients who intended to attend the Fair, and the Parade, didn’t make it due to traffic tie-ups.
The marathon route ran east-west, and essentially cut the city of Seattle in half, several Board Members observed. As Suzie Burke observed, “the city should not be bifurcated.” As a for-profit event, she objected to the way the marathon cut the city in half.
The Board agreed that the simultaneousness of the marathon and the Fair harmed the neighborhood, particularly the business district. The FCC will write a letter to the Seattle Special Events Committee, with copies for the Seattle City Council and the Mayor, but Board Members were encouraged to write individual letters detailing their own experiences.
One Last Note…
Ryan Reiter-Hegeman reported that Fremont would not be hosting a Zombie Walk this year, due to several complex issues that included the tax levied when the City declared the event a ‘sporting event.’
For more on the Fremont Chamber, and its efforts to fulfill its mission, attend the next Board Meeting – on Wednesday, July 31st at 8a, at History House. FCC meetings are open-to-the-public, and allow for input from all attendees, so come and share your ideas on how the strengthen and improve Fremont.
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©2013 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.