Safety should be considered in street vendor setup

To Mayor Carlson and city council members:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of my dissatisfaction of the placement of vendor spaces at the 2013 Fisherman’s Picnic event. This year the majority of the vendors were located on Wisconsin Street, with a few food vendors in front of Lake Superior Trading Post and The Blue Water Café on First Avenue. Other than that, there were no vendors on First.

I was discouraged to witness an ambulance nearly take out a vendor tent while on a call. It is not only a huge mistake not to allow emergency vehicles ample space on both sides of the street, but also a potential lawsuit.

The number of people in attendance at Fisherman’s Picnic is significant. With crowds this size there are bound to be emergencies. Therefore, please plan placement of the outside vendors more efficiently next year to allow for emergency situations.

I hope that the 2013 Fisherman’s Picnic was a success for the Grand Marais Lions Club and the town of Grand Marais. I also hope that the Fisherman’s Picnic will continue to be successful in the future.

Barbara Rawitzer
Attic Gallery of American Crafts
Grand Marais