Alderman Mickey Schneider told city council on Monday that the Saturday Night Market, in which a part of Spring Street was barricaded to through traffic from 4-9 p.m. and vendors set up tents along one side of the street, had great potential for Eureka Springs, “but the way it was put together sucked.”
She again lamented how merchants felt they were kept out of the loop until late in the process. Schneider commented the event was planned to attract many out-of-town visitors, but visitors she spoke with were here in town anyway, not because of the event.
Her take was council needed to set guidelines for events lasting longer than two hours in which a street would be blocked off, and merchants should be involved in the planning from the beginning. “It should not be three people making the decision,” she contended.
However, she acknowledged, “It could have been an awesome event.” Nevertheless, she had a list of shortcomings she had noticed, and her opinion was that an event like that “could not be done right if people are not allowed to have input.”
Alderman Kristi Kendrick said that council, being a legislative body, cannot get involved in executive decisions. She suggested Schneider should run for mayor if she wanted to make the rules for these kinds of events.
Alderman David Mitchell agreed council should not interfere with decisions belonging to the mayor. He did, however, note citizens have claimed the mayor received inadequate information before he decided to close Spring Street. Nevertheless, Mitchell insisted council should not micromanage what independent merchant groups do. He instead encouraged retailers to have a proactive voice.
He added he enjoyed the ambience of the event and being able to wander down the street. “The spirit was nice,” he said, acknowledging it was the first time for the event, and he heard people say they wanted to try it at other times of the year.
Alderman Terry McClung commented that Mayor Butch Berry had already said he would look at these kinds of events differently hereafter, and people should give him the benefit of the doubt.