Nonprofit Looks Forward to Ongoing Discussions Regarding Request for Additional Sound Waivers
Vermont Business Magazine The Champlain Valley Exposition, a Vermont institution, has today released the results of a community survey conducted to solicit feedback in response to its request for 15 additional event sound waivers, on top of the 20 it currently holds. These additional events will be crucial, the CVE stated, for generating the income needed to make essential updates to the grandstand.
CVE said it relies on income from grandstand events to offer reduced or no-cost fees to nonprofit and community event organizers seeking to use the organization’s space. Without these upgrades, the quality and availability of events that enhance community life and promote a vibrant community spirit could be at risk.
The survey was open from July 3-10, with 58 Essex Junction residents participating. Of those residents:
- 82.5% responded they have attended a concert at CVE in the past 5 years or plan to in the future
- 83.9% responded in support of updating the grandstand to better serve concertgoers
- 75.9% of respondents said they were in support of CVE’s request for 15 additional sound waivers
In addition to the survey, representatives of the Champlain Valley Expo hosted a public community forum on June 18, allowing residents to learn more about the organization’s plans, ask questions and share feedback.
Questions raised during the public forum included the impact events had on people’s decisions to shop in the Pearl Street corridor during those designated times and whether the sound from the concerts impacted their lives. Addressing those questions:
- 60.3% of survey respondents indicated that they continue to shop at the neighboring businesses regardless of events at the Expo
- 84.5% of respondents stated they enjoyed hearing the music, though some artists could be bothersome
“Throughout this process, we have welcomed feedback from local residents, business owners and city council members to ensure our plans align with the values of this great community,” Tim Shea, executive director at the Champlain Valley Exposition, said. “We are grateful for the community members who have shared their opinions and participated in this survey. We look forward to continuing this important conversation with all stakeholders.”
An estimated $12 goes directly to the community for each ticket sold, meaning that local hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and retail businesses will benefit from the proposed growth plan.
Additional feedback generated from the survey includes:
- I have lived in Essex all my 85 years and could not imagine Essex without the Fairgrounds. It is way better than another development. I still love walking through the fairgrounds and not worrying about getting hit by a reckless driver. The grandstand badly needs new seating and repairs. More use means more income for more improvements in the future. Let's just do it!
- I support this plan because I believe that events in our city our good for our city. It gives us legitimacy. But you need to sell this as why it's good for the city as a whole, not just CVE. Show us how we win. You won't win over the terminally online malcontents spamming up the Facebook groups, but if you can put the holistic benefits in plain language, everyone else will get on board. Because I imagine most EJ residents are either a) willing to give you the benefit of the doubt or b) too apathetic about the whole thing to really care. Also, your question about the impact on the household is flawed or at least imprecise. The issue of "enjoyment" is secondary to whether you can hear the music at all. I live on South Street. Only with the windows open under the right conditions can I hear what goes on at CVE. Most residents of EJ live even further out and are impacted (if you can even call it that) even less. It should really be two questions: can you hear it and to what degree, and if so does it bother you.
- A vibrant arts and culture center in the City benefits all residents and businesses. This waiver extension will produce the revenue necessary for us to have a world-class venue and attract a variety of top artists.
- You need to let people know every time you mention this, that 10 of the current sound waivers are for fair days. If I were uninformed I would think you are looking to hold 35 concerts above the ten days of the fair. Could these sound waivers be used for other events? If so you should stop using concerts as the description. Could you not bring in a full crowd with a big-name comedian? Are there other types of events you could hold that the waivers might be needed but, are not quite as intrusive as a music concert? I avoid shopping any of the stores, during peak traffic times for your events not all times. I do avoid almost all times during the fair as the pedestrian traffic added to the vehicle traffic at all times of the day can be frustrating. To be clear, it never deters me from using any of the city center businesses.
- The economic impact for small business owners and the opportunity for event attendees to experience Essex Junction are wins for our community. Our state has limited venues to gather, and the CVE is its crown jewel. However, it does need some upgrades that modern concertgoers expect.
- Without serious sound mitigation planning (so that the sound is less in actual neighborhoods, not how it is currently measured; closing my windows isn't enough), I can't support this. I also really worry about the impact on businesses—I know I avoid Pearl St as much as possible during the fair concerts (and I live in that part of EJ). It is one thing to move here with an understanding of the fair and current concert numbers, but this is a big change.
The Champlain Valley Exposition is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization with a mission of serving the people of Vermont and the region by promoting agriculture, education, arts and culture, commerce and entertainment activities. cvexpo.org
Source: ESSEX JUNCTION (Aug. 19, 2024) — The Champlain Valley Exposition
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