I received the following from BFA reader Carl Baj…I have not seen the fence as of yet except the picture above that Mr. Baj sent along with his email.
My concern regarding the fence is not only the aesthetics of the fence but the perpetuation of the media portrayal of the East Side being an unsafe area to live, work or visit.
The Market has a rich history of being a public market. Generations have gone to the market w/out the ‘protection’ of fencing. Why is the fence needed today!!!!
If there is a claim of criminal acts….criminal acts occur at suburban malls daily!!!! I don’t see fences there.
Since the Market is a City owned property, I am still awaiting an answer as to the procedure followed for the erection of the fence. Who made the decision, was the public given the opportunity to comment on the proposal, was a bid process followed?
Please talk to the vendors at the Market to ascertain the difficulties the fence has imposed during this their busiest time of the year.
I truly believe that this fence puts the future of the Market in peril.
Has anyone else seen the fence and what are your thoughts?
I am going to be at the market over the weekend. Looking at the picture, it does seem a bit much.
What was the security issue to prompt a drastic measure like this?
If they are going to use it for construction work, then fine. Materiel is constantly being stolen from even the best locations.
But, if this is some way to make the vendors feel more secure, then I don’t accept it. Fix the top of the ramp, put up a security gate to it, give only the vendors access, and leave the “farmer’s market” area available to the farmers.
If this is supposed to make the vendors feel better, then what does say about the rest of us; “Good luck finding someplace safe to park. We have ours, but the rest of you can go…….”
The new director of the Market has told people that the new branding strategy that was unveiled last month to much excitement will *not* be followed, because “it looks too much like Wegmans.” Well, with this fence, *no one* will mistake the Market for Wegmans — not even the @$$end of a Wegmans looks that bad.
many people have approached me as to what is the next step. Is the fence planned for the entire perimeter of the market? Who do we contact to gain additional information? Who is in charge of the planning process?
When I was at the market yesterday, I stopped by to see the fence. I didn’t think it was as bad as was described on here. I am more concerned with properties on both Gibson and Lombard that look to be on the edge of no return. What is the city and Franczyk doing about these and where is a plan to improve the immediate area surrounding the market. I didn’t like the design by the students. It was a nice effort, but in the end it was students with no real world design or planning experience.