LA MESA HERALDS END OF DOWNTOWN CONSTRUCTION, BUT SCALED-BACK CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE LEAVES SOME RESIDENTS DISAPPONTED

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Cutbacks raise key question: who should pay for security costs of festivals in La Mesa?

By Miriam Raftery

December 15, 2015 (La Mesa)—La Mesa Mayor Mark Arapostathis joined with students from Peter Pan Junior Theatre to sing carols amid holiday lighting in the downtown village at La Mesa Shimmers—a special event held December 9th to celebrate completion of the downtown streetscape construction project and reopening of the historic district.

The event was notably separate from the La Mesa Village Merchants Association’s  Christmas in the Village held December 11 and 12. This year, the merchants’ festival was dramatically scaled back due to lack of funds to shut down streets, leading some residents to ask why the city expects merchants to shoulder the full burden of police and security costs for celebrations that benefit the citizenry as well as local shopkeepers--particularly after construction hurt merchants' businesses for the past year.

It’s been a tough year for the merchants, with business down due to a year of streets blocked by construction that disrupted customers. That came on the heels of several years of a down economy and dwindling membership, leaving the merchants’ group unable to afford the high costs of reimbursing the city for police costs to shut down the streets and provide security.

Earlier this year, the group fell behind on paying back the city for security costs from last year’s Oktoberfest, narrowly making a required payment to proceed with Oktoberfest this year, albeit at a much smaller scale than in years past for that event, too. 

According to Yvonne Garrett, Assistant City Manager, the merchants’ group did not apply for a permit this year to close down streets during the Christmas in the Village festival.

“Since no permits were pulled, no public costs were incurred,” she added. “Most of the activities took place on private parking lots.” Some merchants also had activities outside storefronts, Garrett said. The festival included extended shopping hours and was billed to include a visit from Santa Claus, continuing the community’s long-standing tradition. 

But without such past attractions as  vendor booths, chestnuts roasting on open fires, carriage rides and elaborate entertainment, some long-time attendees found the scaled-back event fell short of expectations.

La Mesa resident Jack Gale posted on the Mt. Helix Next Door forum that he found the event “a disappointment.”  He wrote, “We have attended in years past and expected even more this year after the city spent $5M of our tax dollars to upgrade the street and cut down a 100-year-old tree.  But we were surprised first of all by traffic on the street, no fire pits, and a lack of booths and even the merchants weren’t out on the sidewalk. Then when we walked into a couple of the merchants they weren't offering warm beverages like in the past and in general had kind of a scrooge attitude. One even told us that the city wanted them to come up with $60k for a permit to shut down the street.”

Although the merchants, not the city, have long sponsored Christmas in the Village, Gale concluded, “It seems to me that after spending $5M  they could certainly afford to shut down the street for the enjoyment of the citizens.”

Krista Powers, another member of the Mt. Helix forum online, agreed. “This is so sad,” she wrote. “Without the businesses and special events that make people want to live here, there will be no tax dollars. It goes hand in hand. Create a place with special events that boost community attitude and make people want to live here. Then the businesses will have enough foot traffic to want to be here and be successful so they can pay rent, taxes, and offer jobs.”

Noting that her father opened a store in the village back in 1954 and has since retired, she observed, “He would not be attracted to open a store with the current state.” 

Even after growing up and moving away, Powers said she always returned for special events such as Oktoberfest.  “This year was the first year my husband was available to come also and it was extremely sad. We just moved back here and had a child. I am sad to say the loss of these magical events encourages us to look at buying in other communities that have more family events.”

Interestingly, the neighboring city of El Cajon does not require its merchants to pay for police costs for major festivals, which the city actually sponsors. 

“We sponsor the Mother Goose Parade, America on Main Street and Haunt Fest.  We spend a lot of money on police,” Councilman Gary Kendrick told East County Magazine when asked who foots the costs for such expenses. “This Council has always taken a long-term view of the city.”

Crowds flocking to El Cajon not only spend money that generates sales tax revenues, they also bring “a lot of indirect benefits,” Kendrick notes.  “We’re trying to rebrand the city. There are people who haven’t been downtown in 20 years and they’re saying ‘Oh my gosh, this is so nice. We’re working hard to revitalize the downtown area and it’s really worked.  We had 40,000 people at Hauntfest.”

However the Downtown Partners, a merchants group in El Cajon, also created a planned business improvement district (PBID) in which members are assessed. “Downtown Partners hires their own security group” Kendrick says of some events, noting that private security costs far less than paying for police officers.

The La Mesa merchants voted down a PBID proposal, which some merchants contended it was too expensive. Revenues from such an alliance might have been used to help cover costs for organizing large public events—so in that sense, merchants may be now getting what they paid for.

Powers offers this plea for the decision makers in La Mesa.

 “I truly hope that the decision makers involved can form a better relationships with each other. Work smarter not harder,” she urges. “Be creative with funds, not wasteful. Involve citizens in more of the efforts and decision making.”

She proposes that the city conduct a survey and “do it yourself, don't pay an agency.” She wants to see the city ask the public “What makes people stay in La Mesa? Find out what events they would like to have. Who would be interested in spearheading them, etc.?  Just some thoughts,” the long-time La Mesa resident concludes, “because I don't want to see a place and events I have loved for over 37 years continue to lose its magic.”


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