La Conner merchants ask council to move Sunday plaza music; council agrees to study alternatives

Merchants told the La Conner Town Council that weekly Sunday music in Gilkey (Gilkey) Square is hurting downtown retail and called on the council to explore moving the performances to other locations.

At the council meeting, Marion Melville, who identified herself as representing Seaport Books, said the concerts held each Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day are “very detrimental to our business in on in many different ways.” Melville and another bookstore representative, Jana Gage, told the council that customers are blocked from entering stores during the performances and staff are sometimes unwilling to work those shifts.

The complaint matters to downtown merchants because the summer music series is scheduled weekly at peak retail hours and merchants said it concentrates crowds and noise in one block instead of spreading visitors through the business district. That, they said, reduces incidental shopping and creates public-safety and nuisance concerns tied to alcohol use.

Council discussion and staff responses followed. A council member confirmed the item will be placed on the mayor—s round-table for further discussion. During the round-table exchange, bookstore representatives repeated that “people do not come to Gilkey Square for music to shop. Right. They don—t come in the stores,” and said “employees don—t wanna work that day.” Another speaker added, “Liquor is abused,” describing instances of intoxication associated with the gatherings.

Merchants and council members proposed options the council directed staff to study: rotating the music among multiple venues to spread foot traffic, moving some performances to other public sites such as near the port, Pioneer Park, Maple Hall or the area by the pub, and coordinating with the port and event organizers about power needs and site access. Public works staff noted power requirements at some locations — for Gilkey Square they estimated larger service capacity would be needed — and said using generators or adding temporary circuits are possible but would require logistics and permitting.

Members discussed tools to manage noise and neighborhood impacts, including using a decibel meter or on-site sound monitoring and limiting amplification or speaker placement. Councilmembers also suggested a schedule that would reduce the frequency at any one site so retailers would not face every Sunday disruptions.

No formal policy or vote occurred. The council agreed to have staff identify feasible alternative locations, check power and permitting constraints, and coordinate with the event organizers and the Port of La Conner; the topic will return for council consideration after staff reports.

The council did not establish a timeline at the meeting. Merchants requested a prompt follow-up before the series resumes; council members asked staff to report back with options and estimated costs for power, traffic control and any required permits.