Sandra Bauer sent me several questions to answer, so there they are.
Please forward them on to anyone interested. I would be happy to answer any questions.
My email address is paxton.hoag@gmail.com
- What is your position on amplified and after hours music?
I noticed more acoustic music walking the paths at night this year. Some of that is from the policies that the BOD adopted right before the fair. I really liked that and encourage the move back to acoustic music at night on the Fair site.
However I do believe there is a place for after hours amplified music on the Faire site. I would like to find a place where amplified music would not impact campers or the neighbors, especially for pre and post parties. And I am working on identifying it.
I think this is important for the transition to the younger generations. Our younger generations like different music than ours. We need to accommodate that while continuing to keep some form of quiet hours.
We need a place where family can have moderate level amplified music gatherings, with appropriate sound corridors and dampening so it doesn’t bother the rest of the event. We also need a quiet campground for faire family who want quiet.
I asked several people about the permit process and the feedback I got was that it worked, especially in communicating the Fair’s expectations. It is interesting that one group that plays music regularly found faire ways to get their permit without signing for it. They also ended on time and provided more subdued music. I believe the faire family likes to work together.
- What would you do to implement a periodic review of areas and programs? Some areas in the fair have not done anything new in many years. They need to be refreshed.
I have been encouraging Energy Park to develop proposals for moving the part of their operation that need sun out into the front of the Fair, or maybe into the development in Craft lot as we get to that.
Personally, I think we need to develop Craft Lot as another new area….going towards our 50th anniversary. I have heard several different suggestions that I think are exciting ways to use the area.
I have been working with the Path Planning Committee to envision new areas and ways the Fair can grow. We did a visioning project around the entrance of the faire that showed me there is a wealth of good ideas in the faire family. What we need to do is to develop a process so they can be accomplished.
The Vision Action Committee has been set up as a place to take these creative ideas and to get advise and help in how to implement them. At the moment we are in our beginning stages of getting started. I am working on getting the VAC set up and functioning.
I am also pushing LUMP and the Site Manager to identify new camping areas. The first thing we need to consider in growth is where we can put displaced campers. The Fair needs a Quiet Camp, more Elder camping, a RV Camping area, a one year only campground and more.
All of this will allow more of our creativity to come out.
I also think Path Planning will review areas for effectiveness as the committee grows in the future. It has already undertaken a basic study of the entire faire as part of its planning last year. It is really just starting to be an effective committee.
I also encourage and appreciate Registration's work in getting all of the Wait/Share list a place in the Fair the last two years. This gives us a bunch of new crafters every year.
- How would you suggest the Board build in accountability for both the staff and the coordinators? Would you support an motion that asks for coordinators to reapply for their position every three years? The board must be reelected every two years.
I have been trying to get new coordinator appointments as provisional, for one year, and have gotten nowhere.
Ideally, I would like to see new crew coordinators elected from within the crew if possible. Appointed by the BOD to a probationary coordinator position for one year or so and reviewed at that time.
I am not in favor of term limits for coordinators as I think that, generally, there is sufficient turnover. And we really want some long term experience in the crews. If they get their work done and the crewmembers support them I don’t see the need to change or reapply every three years.
As for accountability for the employees, we are on the verge of giving that job to the Executive Director. Personally I am not sure I am comfortable with that. I understand it to be good business practice and a legal preference.
I am evaluating the move to an Executive Director critically, as this is my job. If the Executive Director position doesn’t work out I will push for more discussion on the concept before starting a new hiring process. We are still learning here.
- Do you support the motion for elders helper/companion passes? This would extend the same courtesy to elders as is extended to crews. Many Elders cannot retire from their positions because they have been the ones to purchase passes for their husbands, wives and children. Once they retire, they can no longer bring these folks to the fair.
I prefer the term helper pass as chosen by the elder, not any other group. Respectfully availability should be at 100%, after all these are people who helped make the faire what it is today.
I am also willing to compromise at 75% to get the motion passed.
I do not like calling them SOPs as that is a crew centric view. I prefer a special category called “Helpers”, only available to Elders. Again it should be the Elder’s choice who they want as a “Helper.”
Elder “Helper” has already passed the BOD. The BOD made an error in not assigning a quota to “Helpers.” I think this will happen soon.
- How well did you think operations handled the mud on Sunday of the fair this year. The feedback system for determining the efficacy of the sand approach did not seem to work this year and the paths were not safe. What should the board of directors do to investigate and resolve this situation.
I think we forgot our history. We have a process that was well developed over the years that works and it was not followed. On Sunday early afternoon (about 1 PM) I went to Charlie and recommended putting down straw. I was told the decision was already made in favor of sand and that was being done. I expressed my dounts and again suggested straw for safety’s sake. I do regret not going on to Marcus with that discussion.
I understand where the process broke down. Neither Marcus nor Charlie have lived through a time of significant rain, like 1983 and 1993, and 1993 was not a deluge like 83 or 09. Steve Wiz was just looking out for what he had to do after the Fair. So there was no one immediately available who knew what to do.
My concern was that safety of our attendees and vendors was not at all met. We could have had a much more normal day if we had put down straw immediately.
Vendors did not have to take such a big hit as they did. People did not have to live in fear of falling as they walked around. While less mud might not have been as memorable I bet it would have been a more pleasant time.
We should have encouraged people do put down straw from the Drum tower immediately instead of stopping them.
I think it would be smart to have straw stashed at various points around the Fair for emergency purposes. We used to until people started using it for bedding. That is the big problem there, and not unsolvable.
I intend to talk about this at the BOD retreat, especially with the BOD, Charlie and Marcus. There may be a way that Elders could help. We need to keep our institutional memory.
