Nicole Kench”s vision of closing downtown for a free hip-hop, reggae, funk and food downtown celebration of sustainability was rejected by the Fort Bragg City Council Monday night. The denial came despite impassioned pleas from a dozen supporters.
The council, by a 4-1 vote, upheld staff”s rejection of a permit that would have allowed the EcoMotion Mendocino event to go forward on Aug. 15.
Kench, through her company, Nykety Splits Presents, had arranged top national and local acts and vendors. She originally estimated EcoMotion attendance at more than 5,000 people and asked to close 12 blocks on Friday and Saturday.
After initial rejection by staff, Kench cut the event down by five blocks and removed Friday from the schedule.
Just prior to the meeting, she presented councilmembers with a packet of signed contracts for security and other vendors, which some said answered many questions.
“This is a global movement that is happening, people are changing, minds are changing and we are bringing it to Fort Bragg. I don”t understand why Fort Bragg doesn”t want to be part of that,” said Kench.
Despite fiercely passionate efforts by Kench, the council upheld the ruling by its top staff, who said the event was too big and should be held outside of the busy tourist season. Council members encouraged Kench to come back with a proposal for a smaller event on a date outside the prime tourist season that local businesses depend upon.
EcoMotion”s promoters have not let the denial slow them down, proposing a new date the day after the council meeting.
“The rationale for upholding the denial mostly consisted of the event happening during the height of tourist season, so we have submitted requests to move the date of EcoMotion Mendocino to Oct. 10 with the hopes that city management will facilitate cooperation in a professional manner,” Delaney Brown, Kench”s assistant, said in an email response following the meeting.
Nykety Splits Presents has spent $30,000 to date on the planning for EcoMotion Mendocino, Brown said.
“It”s also important to promote a message of never giving up and the EcoMotion team has utilized Monday”s denial as motivation to move forward with the original vision with even more tenacity than before, because we”re not going away.”
A dozen speakers, mostly community leaders, supported the event and four opposed it.
Business owner Chriss Zaida raised the possibility of broken store windows from a big crowd and the locally unknown security company (from Eureka).
“My business and those of others may be at risk,” Zaida said.
“In the current economic crisis, it is important the city does not take a chance on an event we don”t know if it will succeed. We have too much to lose to let a fledgling production company take on a project this vast,” Zaida said.
Nancy Swehla of the Franklin Street business Creation Station supported the event and its message of sustainability.
“It”s been very difficult downtown … We would be delighted to be overwhelmed with people. We would be delighted for this to become a little greener place and learn a little something,” Swehla said.
Local massage therapist Liz Haapanen said she could never have succeeded with similar promotions she did in the past if she had to convince a city council.
“I”m here to support Nicole Kench and her block party,” said Haapanen. “The problem is the fear. I don”t see what the problem about this block party is except anxiety about some amorphous things that might happen.”
Chris Woods, executive director of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden, offered his “wholehearted support,” speaking as a citizen, not on behalf of the garden.
“I would very strongly urge the council to support Nicole”s promotion … This is extraordinary opportunity to expand our [town”s] business. I wish EcoMotion were happening at the Garden,” said Woods.
Musical acts listed on the Ecomotionmendocino.org website who had been lined up to play on Aug.15 included Ganga Giri, Marty Dread, Mad Professor, RadioActive and Los Tikkilyches.
Stephen Bates was among the local acts planned.
David Jensen, former owner of Cowlick”s, questioned how such a big and free event could make money.
“There is a lot of money going into this event. I”m wondering how this is going to pay for itself. Who is the money behind this?” Jensen said.
Funding also perplexed the council. Kench told them venture capitalists had provided upfront money for tax reasons. She said the event is riding the wave of a nationwide sustainability movement.
“We are talking this event across the country, and [investors] are in for the long haul. We are not concerned about money, so I don”t know why others should be,” said Kench.
Many supporters said the city must take chances and be willing to experience something new in a time of economic and personal depression.
“I see a lot of sadness in this community, I see a lot of meth,” said Rebecca Aum of Mendocino. “It”s not about pot, it”s about sustainability. We need something beside pot in this county, we need something for the young people to do.”
Two supporters came with Kench and spoke at the meeting.
“We have block parties in Chicago every weekend,” said Claudia De LaRosa, who came from the Second City to work on the event until Aug. 14. She said about 300 block parties are held there each summer.
“I take offense that we have been called a fledgling company because we are not.”
Mayor Doug Hammerstrom asked her what percentage of Chicago was shut down by a block party.
De LaRosa said that depended on the area.
Susan Lightfoot of Noyo Food Forest said she would like to see a block party every weekend and told the council young people of the community desperately need such an event.
One snag turned up at the meeting in regards to camping on the 20-acre Patton property on Todd Point. A signed contract for the property was presented that showed the promoter had promised to cover insurance and clean up garbage for the three days. But Community Development Director Marie Jones said a permit was needed because the camping would be in the Coastal Zone. She said there would not be time for the required neighbor notifications for the camping.
Councilman Dave Turner said he supported the city staff ruling because an event so large required intense communication between staff and the promoter.
Turner and Hammerstrom both reacted to Haapanen”s statement about amorphous fears by saying concerns were real.
“It”s not fear about amorphous things, it”s concerns about specific things,” Hammerstrom said, noting that shutting down the town then hoping promised crowds would arrive was simply too much to do for a new promoter during a crucial month for the town”s businesses.
Hammerstrom said he hoped to see the event grow over time, not start bigger than anything in Fort Bragg history.
“I”d like to see something like this evolve with a lot of community groups who are involved in sustainability taking the lead on building this over time,” Hammerstrom said.
Councilwoman Meg Courtney said it would have made a big difference if she had gotten the extensive packet from Kench sooner than the week of the meeting.
“I feel very bad sitting here, this has been very unfortunate … The city has made some missteps in not taking you as seriously … if I had seen this packet earlier, it would have made a huge difference,” said Courtney.
Councilman Dan Gjerde liked the idea but said it was out of scale for Fort Bragg, if not Chicago.
Councilman Jere Melo cast the dissenting vote in favor of EcoMotion. He said he did so partly because business people had weighed in on both sides and he didn”t want a unanimous vote under such circumstances.
Asked if EcoMotion might be moved to a different location, Brown said supporters like the small town block party idea.
“People want to see EcoMotion happen in downtown Fort Bragg. To change the location now would disappoint those who continue to be excited about holding such an event here on the coast,” Brown said.
“EcoMotion is currently setting up offices in Atlanta, Ga., and we are organizing worldwide venues,” Brown said.
