Please Help Save the Sand Point Antique & Design Market in Hangar 30. Send an email to the city counsel and mayor.

Dear Sand Point Buyer, Seattle's DPD (building inspectors), the fire marshal's office and Magnuson Park are in a hissy fit over the continued use of Hangar 30 where we hold our Sand Point Market. We have been advised we may not be able to hold our event in 2011. Please contact the mayor of Seattle, Mayor Mike McGinn's, and the city consul and voice your objection to close the hangar except for their precious few. Following is a copy of my letter to the nitwits who control our future.


Dennis

richard.conlin@seattle.gov,

sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov,

tim.burgess@seattle.gov,

sally.clark@seattle.gov,

jean.godden@seattle.gov,

bruce.harrell@seattle.gov,

nick.licata@seattle.gov,

mike.obrien@seattle.gov,

tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov

ccJulianna Ross ,

Christopher.Williams@seattle.gov

Closing Magnuson Park without enough notice will cost the city of Seattle untold thousands of dollars and hurt Main Street business.

As promoter of the Sand Point Antique & Design Market for the last 7 years, I have rented Hangar 30 In Magnuson Park nearly 42 times. That is about $126,000 that I have paid to the City of Seattle to use Hangar 30.

In addition to this my wife and I have invested well over $100,000 to promote this antique cultural event.

The Sand Point Market is now the longest running antique show and sale in Seattle's history.

At this moment it is not clear if I can use "building 30" next year and if not, I am out of business. This would be a stinging rebuke of all we have tried to accomplish at Magnuson Park.

The two hundred and 26 thousand dollars we have spent was just a start of cash left in the City or Seattle after our events. From 50 to 100 dealers can have sales for thousands of dollars during our event; look at all the tax money being deposited in the city coffers. We bring hundreds and hundreds families and friends together for about 8 hours exchanging money, fun and a sense of community, which ebbs into the city.

And the Sand Point Antique & Design Market is just one event, which brings cash into the City of Seattle; extrapolate these thousands with about 32 other vendors all producing cash for the City.

From my understanding closing building 30 has been an ongoing dispute between building officials, Fire Marshal and park officials. But, this dispute has been going on since I started promoting the Sand Point Market 7 years ago.

While Mayor Mike McGinn's words here are encouraging, the fighting factions need to understand you do not pull the rug out from under a cash paying, willing exhibitor with only a month or two's notice.

This action is very extreme and should not be implemented until 2012 so that my company and everyone else paying to use building 30 can make other plans.

It is also a knock on the head to know the building will be used Monday to Thursday, in other words, nearly every day by the tennis club and four other annual events. If you allow only this tightly chosen groups, you can continue the use of building 30 for everyone.

Remember, we are talking about the city of Seattle tossing out $300,000 cash plus untold thousands more.

Does this make sense in today's money tight economy?



Dennis Eros