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HomeMy WebLinkAboutcclc.min.091001 COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 Chairperson Jon Busch called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Commissioners present were Bill Dinsmoor, Terry Butler, Andrew Kole and Jon Busch. Eric Cohen and $ohn Start were excused. FARMERS MARKET Jon said the ACRA survey is illuminating and we are on the right track. The survey indicates that there is a need for diverse products sold. Jori said he wants a level of assurance regarding the rules and regulations. If someone is turned down maybe there is a way of appealing that decision through the CCLC. Jack D'Orio said in the past people were turned down because they didn't meet the vending agreement. They are turned down by the majority of the board. Such items as coffee, pasta people, nuts, flower arrangements etc. were turned down. If there is expansion he feels all the booths would be filled. The farmers market needs diversity. Over the period of four years 8eight to ten people have been turned down. Jack also said dried fruits have done well in markets and they would like to sell them. Terry said Estes Park had the best festival she has ever seen. All the food was prepared there. Terry feels we need energy etc. in this town. We need to move forward with positive plans to make the farmers market bigger and better. Jack said he envisioned two locals and two city people added to the AFM board in determining who gets in. Chris Bendon, planner said what he sees out of the ACRA survey and how the board feels is that people want to see vibrant, interesting things in the farmers market. The other issue that the board is struggling with is do you want to see this as a little slice of American enterprise where you see competition and supply and demand, all the enterprise play out. The two issues do not necessarily coincide. If you are looking at enterprise such as having four corn vendors where one piece of corn is worth .90 and the other $1.20 and you gravitate to the one that costs .90, that might be satisfying in seeing supply and demand. The board needs to determine what they want. The CCLC also needs to trust the farmers markets association in making COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 their decisions. They are also looking for diversity. Do you want this to be about diversity or a slice of American enterprises? There is also the idea from the board to have a rotating co-up booth. Andrew said he talked to numerous businesses in town and the majority would participate in the market but they were not obsessed. A few people thought it should go to Buttermilk. Andrew said he would like to see it be two blocks long and 30 vendors. Charles Kennedy, public said possibly do an afternoon discount sale from 2- 4 in order to get rid of the product. Jack said people enjoy finger foods such as Italian Ice. Jori said he feels we should also have a rotating craft booth and market booth. Jack said the times could be staggered. Jack said the initial cost is $300. plus the business license fee of $150. He also stated he has a list of 15 additional people that want to be in the farmers market but the vending agreement needs to be changed. Chris stated after the CCLC determines what they want the farmers market to be there will be a work session with city council regarding the vending license. There are problematic things in the current vending agreement which refers to the "spirit of the farmers market". Chris said we should address the list of things the farmers market wants to do. We need to be clear as can be. Ion said with regard to the rotating booth it should be easy enough for somebody who doesn't have the money or the time or the product to survive the entire summer to be able to participate. Bill asked for clarity regarding food products, He would prefer nothing to be sold that could be eaten or drank other than what is given away as a sample. Jeanette said with that in mind Italian Ice would go and Lewis Swiss Bakery. COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 Terry and other members disagreed with Bill. Bill said serving food opens up an entire different level of health issues, competition and the entire dynarmcs of the place. Jon said there ~s a difference between food intended to be eaten onsite and food that is prepared but not intended to be onsite. Andrew said the only reason a five or six year old child wants to go to the farmers market is to get an Italian ice. He has heard that from numerous parents. Jack said they intentionally had the Italian Ice man to do exactly what he is doing. These are incidents that are called finger foods such as cotton candy. The finger food doesn't create a problem because when it is done it does into the trash and the streets are clean. We have talked about doing more finger foods and they are part of the flavor of the farmers market. Homestead beef, owner said they cook samples and people sample their food and buy it but they would actually purchase some to eat on site if allowed. Bill said when you open it up to selling meals it has complications. The restaurant association will not be in favor of this. You are also hurting other businesses and who is going to supervise this. Jon said possibly we should eliminate hot food and then you are simplifying things. Italian Ice and cotton candy are things that children will want. Jeanette Whitcomb said no matter what is being served it is her job to make sure the product is safe. Chris Bendon said the board needs to decide if this is going to be diverse farmers market or is the board trying to craft a micro causing and control over market advantage etc. Terry said the aroma and smells of the coffee in the mr are important for the farmers market. Possibly we should eliminate the amount of vendors selling food for consumption. COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 Bill said he has seen farmers markets turn into hamburgs, hotdogs, burritos etc. in a hurry to overcome the flavor of the farmers market. Jori said the board could eliminate food next year or as an appeal agency we could review someone that wants to sell Italian Ice. A category could be set up for food as we have done in the past and said food is prohibited except by special review with the CCLC. It could be set up similar to the mall lease hearing. Jack stated that they do not want to overdo the food ~ssues. There is a difference between finger foods and hamburgs. Possibly we could one food prepared vendor. The bakery and Italian Ice are a success. Jack said we need a vision as to what we want to see. Jon said he would not want to have anything that would be conceived of as a full-blown restaurant or serve entr5es'. Andrew said what about someone who wants to do a fundraiser for local people. They could use the rotating booth. Jeannette said defining finger food is a big job. Andrew suggested that we look at what we have and then fill in the empty slots. Staff said the booths are not full and numerous people have called not wanting the expansion into another block. We need to address the issue of getting the booths filled first. Patrick Leto suggested the board identify what an entr6e is. Jack suggested a staged vending agreement. The first year you set goals and one would be to fill the existing block and have one vendor of this and two of that and the second year expand the block and add fifteen more vendors existing of one prepared food vendor, one arts and crafts. If you stage it that way Chris can build it into the vending agreement now. If you expand to COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 the second block you could keep a list of potential vendors and when you get 12 open the block up. There will also be issue with the residence and parking. Bill said it sounds like the board wants food to be an enhancer not meals. Jack said it would be a monumental task to administer all the crafts people. Jon said we should prohibit entrees and then define what an entree is. Patrick Leto said the association doesn't necessarily want someone tossing hamburgers. They want to sell pasta. The association needs the right merchant mix. Patrick Leto also said the Italian Ice guy is there to present a feeling on a hot summer day. Jori said we should go with a percentage mix for the farmers market. Terry also mentioned that she was in favor of the vendors selling processed foods, Colorado grown, made and based. They also could be sampled onsite. Jeanette said the board is comfortable with pre-prepared foods not for onsite consumption. The other issue is Colorado grown items and it is difficult to determine how much of the food is Colorado grown. It would be easier to administer if you said two prepared off site consumptions of food. Jon said we would be better offwith percentages rather than fixed numbers. Andrew said we should sit down and look at a model of what we would ideally like. Patrick Leto said we need to look a merchant mix which would be handled by the association, the board agreed. Jack said we only have four categories, raw vegetables, fruit, food vendors, and crafts. COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSIO~~ MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 Chris Bendon said the board wants to see a model of what we all potentially want to see. Jeanette said so a company in. Colorado could participate in the farmers market. A company outside cannot. A vendor came and wanted to sell pinion nut, which are not Colorado grown or made. The product is finished onsite and they need to get a business license in Colorado. Andrew said we need a sliding scale, a hierarchy, Colorado grown, Colorado made and Colorado based. That should be the criteria, Jack said the spirit of the farmers market enhances our community by education of the product that an individual is purchasing. Bill inquired about fruits and vegetables that are not available due to weather conditions etc. Do we want to bring them in from out of state etc? Jack said they have a concession for that particular situation; they go within the state first and out of state number two. They have to forgo their rules on those kinds of years. On good years it is important for the purchaser to know that it is Colorado Farmers products. Bill said he doesn't want to cripple the farmers market due to frost. Jeanette said weather variables are taken care of but it is the non-native Colorado product that we need to know if some percentage should enhance the farmers market. Andrew said we do not lack fruit and vegetable vendors at this moment. Jeanette said the decision would allow the existing produce people to have a non-native product. The board said they were not sure where we are on that. That would allow the nut man. Jack said if we allowed it somebody would do it. 6 COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 Chris Bendon said for clarification the board wants to see a model before it goes on to city council. Staff will summarize for the next meeting. Bill reiterated for clarification that a percentage of prepared foods for consumption off site will be permitted. The hierarchy would be Colorado grow, made. Food for onsite consumption can only be as an enhancement such and the Italian Ice and Lewis Swiss Bakery. Entrees are not permitted. Jack asked that staff address keeping city hall restroom facilities open to the vendors. Jeanette said we need to define the responsibilities for a co~op. They have a job to organize ~t and they would need a managing person for the co-op. There are tax issues etc. Andrew said if we don't get anyone to commit we don't have the co-op. Jon said what we want to do is have a way of addressing the very small local person who cannot afford to commit for the summer or have the resource or materials to.commit for the summer. The co-0p could be the Red Brick Arts Center. Jon said he doesn't care if the co-op has arts and crafts and produce together. Jeanette said in her opimon the co-op needs to be committed. Jon said if someone comes in August to do a cop-op and they pay the association and the city that is about as far as we can go. If they invest that much they would probably want to be in it for the long term. Jon said the easiest issue for the restroom issue is to have city hall open. Staff was directed to look into this for next year. ENTERTAINMENT PERMIT Performer Jeep Caillouet presented the board with a draft of guidelines for performers. Staff will review the guidelines with the attorney's office. The COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 board unanimously felt that a policy pamphlet should be produced for next year indicating the areas performers are allowed to perform. It ws agreed that performers do not need to carry insurance except those who use knives, fire etc. It was also agreed that a permit system should not be incorporated. Staff relayed that it is city policy that no performers are permitted to use city electricity and there is no amplified music allowed on the malls. Andrew had a concern about first come first serve. Staff relayed that the City is not liable if we are not party to the performer. Jeep recommended that if fire is being used that a extinguisher be present on site and the area roped off. Enforcement will be handled by the police department regarding recklessness and endangering individuals. Jeep said in Key West they are required to have insurance. Jeep said he feels the sites should be first come first serve. Staff recommends if there are more than one performer on the mall a rotation system should be set up. Andrew is first come first serve is OK BUT you cannot comer market if someone else wants to use that space. If it becomes an issue then we will address it. Bill said if someone is told that a specific area on the mall is there's to perform the police need to step in. Bill said we need to identify broadly dangerous activity. OLYMPIC TORCH Linda Gerdnick went over the Olympic torch route with the board and presented a map with the routes. COMMERCIAL CORE & LODGING COMMISSION MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 Torch runners will be mmounced at the community picnic. Linda worked with parking etc. on the route. City council approved a $10,000 appropriation. Wagner Park will be used and a kids mini Olympic area. There is a $1,000 fee to be a sponsor under Salt Lake requirements. Merchants have been very supportive. The task force meets about every two weeks. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS - MALL LEASES Staffwas approached by the Grottos to discuss leaving the mall seating up all winter. The Parks Dept. is opposed to this due to snow and ice removal during the winter. The board agreed but as a compromise suggested that next year the mall leases be extended another two weeks to accommodate fall colors. MOTION: Bill moved to adjourn,, second by Andrew. All in favor, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 12:30 pm Kathleen J. Strickland, Chi&Deputy Clerk