Last week, access to an entire city block in downtown Eugene was closed to allow a small handful of people on roller blades — I counted no more than four or five at any given time — to skate around the Farmers Market Pavilion and Plaza as part of an event organized by Lane County Farmers Market management, in conjunction with the Tuesday Farmers Market.

City-owned right of ways Oak Alley and Park Street were closed to all traffic from both ends, which prevented customers, business owners, vendors and tradespeople from easily accessing businesses within the block, including my business, Authentica Wines. 

UPS and FedEx were prevented from entering the block via their normal routes, and businesses with heavy loads were denied access to the city-designated loading zone at the north end of Park Street. In addition, standing appointments were delayed or canceled due to the inability to find nearby parking in a timely manner. But more importantly, potential customers were kept away from businesses in the area and the Farmers Market itself. I heard from several people who wished to combine a trip to my business with a stop at the market across the street, a frequent occurrence on Tuesday and Saturday (I often promote the Farmers Market to my customer base in my weekly newsletter!) 

I would like to emphasize that I am “all in” when it comes to the Farmers Market and civic engagement with the Park Blocks. In fact, I specifically sought to locate nearby when I planned my business over 16 years ago. But I have to say that I’m frequently surprised by how little consciousness of their neighbors Farmers Market management and the city of Eugene displays at times like these. The Farmers Market seems to think it operates in a vacuum and that surrounding businesses are almost invisible in comparison. 

And am I the only one that sees the head-slapping irony of the recent “Community Solutions Summit” sponsored by the Eugene Chamber of Commerce and held at this very same pavilion? Stakeholders and city leaders, including the mayor, spent the better part of the day discussing strategies for enlivening downtown and spurring business growth, only to have the city turn around and close an entire city block during prime business hours so a few folks can roller blade around the pavilion just a few days later.

A bit of a disconnect one might say?

Steven Baker
Owner, Authentica Wines
Eugene