Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Events topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council authorizes manager to negotiate Chardon Holiday Market contract with conditions after debating permits and permanent power
Summary
The Chardon City Council voted to let the city manager negotiate a contract with the Chardon Square Association for a proposed Holiday Market on the square, subject to resolving electrical, building-permit, vendor-selection and First Amendment concerns; the motion passed with council conditions and reporting back for final approval.
Chardon
The Chardon City Council gave conditional approval for the proposed Holiday Market on Chardon Square by authorizing the city manager to negotiate a contract with the Chardon Square Association (CSA), provided outstanding items are resolved and incorporated into a formal agreement.
Abigail Blashinski of the CSA presented the event concept: a Friday-through-Sunday market with uniform 10-by-10 foldable wooden huts placed along sidewalks, coordinated decorations, and vendor jurying similar to other square events. Abigail said the CSA had consulted both the police and fire chiefs and planned to use either Maple Festival power or installed receptacles rather than trailing extension cords across sidewalks.
Council and staff questions focused on several operational and legal items: whether the huts (and some permanent electrical junction boxes discussed by the CSA) would trigger building permits under the Ohio building code; whether permanent underground electric installations were appropriate for a potentially seasonal event; whether the vendor selection process would be neutral with respect to religious displays (free-exercise and establishment-clause concerns were raised); safety, grading and tree protection; and insurance and allocation of space during overlapping events.
Manager Ben recommended a forward path: allow the CSA to continue planning and authorize the manager to negotiate a contract similar to the Maple Festival arrangement that would require CSA to resolve listed issues (permits, power, jurying policy and non-discrimination language) and return an executed agreement to council for final approval. Council voted to authorize negotiations with those conditions (motion carried; recorded vote: yes 5, no 2).
Separately, council approved a one-day for-profit holiday market inside Heritage House (applicant Cindy Suzinski), noting insurance and council approval are required for for-profit use of the facility.
What happens next
The manager and CSA will work through a contract that addresses building-code determinations (including whether huts or electrical changes require permits), permanent vs. temporary power, vendor-application criteria that avoid viewpoint discrimination, and insurance/indemnity for the event. Council required CSA to return the final contract for approval once these items are resolved.
Votes and documents
Council motion to authorize the manager to negotiate a Holiday Market contract with CSA passed (recorded vote in meeting: yes 5, no 2). The Heritage House one-day for-profit request was approved (vote recorded as unanimous in favor).
