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Waters Calmer in Fremont Market Parking War
By Tom Herriman
Jun 13, 2001 -- More than 150 people called, e-mailed or faxed The Seattle Press asking to join a petition supporting the Fremont Sunday Market and urging that the market stay in its present location, in the U-Park lot at N 34th Street and Stone Way. Another 240 people signed a similar petition circulated by the West Fremont Merchants Association.Christopher Webb of Real Soda, who helped circulate the West Fremont petitions, said the Market is a tremendous benefit to the community and to businesses in the area. "The only complaint we have about the market now is that it's too far away. We want it back here in the center of the Fremont business community."
The market has been in the news for the last two weeks, as several dozen disgruntled boat owners who occupy the slips next to the parking lot had trouble finding parking slots when the market opened for the year on Sunday, May 6.
The 30 or so street parking spaces adjacent to the Fremont Dock Marina, which boat owners apparently considered to be theirs, were suddenly, legitimately, taken up by market patrons. Parking spots suddenly became hard to find within a radius of several blocks.
No one knew how loud a few boat owners could be. Maybe it was a slow news week, but the boat/market war was covered repeatedly by the two daily newspapers as well as all the local TV news broadcasts. Boaters were reportedly circulating petitions of their own, but no tallies of signers have been received by The Seattle Press (or by anyone else, as far as we know).
Early on Sunday, June 2, we found market manager John Hegeman putting out orange traffic cones in some of the parking places, trying to reserve them for boat owners. Market patrons will be happy to know that at least for the rest of the season, the Fremont Sunday Market is staying where it is. Next year, Hegeman says, "We hope to be in a new permanent home in Fremont."
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