The city's discussions with Harvest Homecoming should be transparent and inclusive of downtown business owners. Maybe next year?

(Late note: I'm told that Harvest Homecoming's Art Niemeier will be at the meeting)

"The next scheduled meeting for the Downtown Business Organizations group is Thursday, September 18th, 8:30 am. Donuts, juice and coffee will be provided. This is an opportunity for you to receive an update on City of New Albany projects. If there are any issues or discussion items you’d like on the agenda, call or email me so I can add them prior to the meeting."

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I'll be unable to attend.

I'd say the single most important issue, given that next to nothing has been done about it to date, is for the city to explain how Harvest Homecoming's annual expropriation of downtown is going to be less injurious this year than it has been in years past.

It's nice to be informed periodically that the city’s people have been talking with Harvest Homecoming’s people, but it would be transparent and productive if Harvest Homecoming officials were compelled to sit with actual downtown business owners AND the city to begin hashing this out, as opposed to the ritual issuing of proclamations from Harvest Homecoming, and seconding by the city.

This has not happened in spite of the city's frequent promises to the contrary. Since Harvest Homecoming's management recently took to the newspaper to demand that WE understand THEM, I'm forced to conclude that the city hasn't really faced up to this issue at all. When can we actually observe a dialogue taking place?

More importantly, there are fundamental, root issues. Why does the city, via the Board of Works, abdicate control over a large portion of its territory during Harvest Homecoming, to the continuing detriment of existing downtown stakeholders who are there, hustling, 24/7/365?

As my friend Jeff recently put it:

When citizens, businesses, or other groups go to the City to ask about using public space and are told they have to get permission from a private, non-elected, non-accountable, third-party, there are obviously issues. Eventually, someone is going to have to push the conversation along via civil disobedience. It would be helpful if the business/property owners most directly impacted would do it en masse. If HH doesn't have to go before the Board of Works to secure the space in front of your building for that time period, then neither do you, right?