In Narrowsburg, whose main street is it?

Independence Day celebration boundaries set

By KIMBERLY M. WEYANDT

NARROWSBURG, NY — Does Main Street belong to the town, the residents of the town, or the business owners who sweep and shovel the sidewalks every year? This was a question for Tusten town board members to consider when a dispute over the use of Main Street for Independence Day came before them on Monday, June 12.

Last year, Narrowsburg’s Main Street was closed to traffic for the day. It appeared full of life and sounds with shoppers wandering among the street vendors and bringing business to Main Street merchants while they awaited the fireworks display. This year, the Narrowsburg Chamber of Commerce was hoping for a similar type of celebration and was surprised to find that there was opposition.

Merchants on Main Street have said that bringing vendors onto Main Street does not help their businesses¾it disrupts it. Closing the street limits the amount of traffic that can get to Main Street’s restaurants and shops, and street vendors make it difficult for people to get in and out of downtown businesses.

“I’m not opposed to having venders in town for the fourth of July; I just don’t understand why they have to close down the only business road in town to do it,” said Charles Blanchard, owner of Dyberry Weaver, a Main Street business.

Blanchard said that the vendors attract a different type of crowd, one that would not patronize the upscale Main Street businesses.

“Our stuff is expensive, I know it is and the majority of our business is weekenders and summer people,” said Blanchard, “Why not try to attract that kind of crowd?”

Klu Padu, president of Narrowsburg’s Chamber of Commerce, decided to take the issue to the town board for suggestions and approval.

At the town board meeting, supervisor Ben Johnson read a letter from the merchants on Main Street. The letter stated that the businesses struggle to make a living and that weekends and holidays are when they do most of their business. They expressed interest in putting their own items out on the street and having a sort of sidewalk sale that day.

“I don’t want to step on any toes,” Padu said at the board meeting. “The Main Street merchants are members of the chamber as well.”

Padu stated that the chamber initially wanted to close Main Street, but since the merchants are opposed, they would instead like to use the sidewalks of Main Street and keep the road open.

“We would like to ask the town for use of the parking lot at the library,” Padu said.

With the blessing of the town board, the chamber will be allowed to spread their vendor booths out on the sidewalks of Main Street and in the library parking lot.