And the party never ends

Discussion of live music in Saratoga continues more than a decade after it began

The history of a local music venue known as The Yard is long and fraught, and may be gaining a new chapter this summer. The Yard, owned by Chris Shannon and Cindy Bloomquist, is located across from the Angus England American Legion Post 54 on Southeast River Street in Saratoga.

One of the first major incidents with music in the Valley occurred at the July 6, 2010 Saratoga Town Council meeting. In the meeting, members of the town came before the council to ask why a musical festival at Veterans Island had been shut down at 10 p.m. for "no reason". The reason given by the council was the permit for the event made it so music had to stop at 10 p.m. This resulted in discussion for event permitting, with then Town Clerk Suzie Cox stating she had been working on an Organized Event Application.  

This discussion continued in the July 20 meeting, when Bloomquist and Shannon came before the council to ask for extended hours for a music festival on August 27. Then Mayor John Zeiger had concerns due to previous events supposedly ignoring the stipulations set by the Town. In the meeting, Shannon voiced his displeasure for the application process, thinking it was used to "create hardship upon them (The Yard)". When asked if the Saratoga Resort and Spa was okay with the concert running late into the night, Shannon responded the festival was supported by the business. After discussion, the 3rd Annual Blues Festival was allowed to go past 1 a.m. contingent upon proper permitting being followed.  

In-between town council meetings, Bloomquist was issued a citation for "disturbing the peace" on August 1. This occurred due to a Devon Allman concert held at Veteran's Island, with the police getting two noise complaints for the music. The calls were from neighbors Tom and Pat Roszel, stating the music was extremely loud.  

During the August 3 meeting, Saratoga Resort and Spa General Manager Susan Wallace addressed the council and read a letter from the resort to voice concerns about the 1 a.m. curfew for the blues festival.

Wallace said they were not opposed to the music, just the late hours. Wallace claimed the resort had experienced problems with the last blues festival held on Veterans Island. In an August 11 issue of The Saratoga Sun, Wallace was quoted saying "concerts on the river have not been favorable for our business".

Shannon and Bloomquist expressed displeasure at the resort letter, but stated they would be able to calculate decibel levels with sound checks throughout the day to determine if the music would be offensive to neighbors.  No action was taken on the noise concerns. Cox presented a draft of the Organized Event Application to the council during this meeting.  

Bloomquist came before the Saratoga Planning Commission on August 10 requesting a conditional use permit for a live music venue at The Yard. She had gathered the required signatures from neighbors showing their support for the property. No action was taken, with board members wishing to "hear the input of the people".  

At the August 17 Saratoga Town Council meeting, the Organized Event Application dominated the conversation. Many members from the public "voiced their opinion concerning the 11-page document". The August 25 edition of The Saratoga Sun detailed the support or lack of support for the application, with some believing it was fair and equitable, and others believing it was far too restrictive. Suggestions were made, and the application was tabled. The August 25 edition also included multiple letters to the editor regarding music concerts, some for and some against. The paper would continue to receive letters for many months, mainly in support of The Yard. These letters emphasized the importance of music in the Valley. In the drafts following the first introduction of the Organized Event Application, a decibel level requirement was introduced. This application, however, was tabled indefinitely.  

Discussion regarding music continued throughout the winter, but returned in full force in April 2011. In the April 20 edition of The Saratoga Sun, it was reported the Saratoga Planning Commission voted to present a list of recommendations to the town council on how Shannon's "Music on the River" concerts should be handled over the summer. In the following town council meeting, council members suggested Shannon bring a plan to the council detailing how he will "address the recommendations of the planning commission". Shannon expressed his appreciation for the planning commission and the council's willingness to work with him. Cox brought up discussion of a special events permit, but members of the council took no action on the idea.  

In the May 3 town council meeting, Bloomquist read a letter requesting the council develop a noise ordinance with reference to decibel levels for different zones. No action was taken. This idea was further pushed in the May 17 meeting, with Bloomquist presenting a list of issues in regards to a noise ordinance. She requested a committee be formed for the ordinance to "make it more accommodating to those concerned". Zeiger explained the town attorney, Tom Thompson, was in the process of drafting a noise ordinance. 

Cox also stated making committees necessary for the approval of ordinances would make the passages of new ordinances very difficult.  Issues with zoning were also brought up by Bloomquist and Shannon. Former Planning Commission Chairwoman Bev Hempel explained The Yard does not fit under a permitted use and "everything within the retail business areas must be conducted inside a permanent building".  

During the June 21 town council meeting, two concerts to be held in July were approved for The Yard. Hempel reiterated the fact that the concerts were not a permitted use because they were not in a building, but the council saw no issue as long as the rules were followed.  

The fact The Yard was not a permitted use was discussed largely during the July 5 town council meeting. The council agreed the ordinance would have to be changed or defined to address the issue. The Rozels, who complained about the noise from The Yard previously, once again addressed the issue with the noise and late time. The two concerts approved in the June 21 meeting were still allowed to run.  

Decibel readings were discussed at the August 2 town council meeting, with no noise complaints received from the two concerts. During the August 16 meeting, Ordinance 802 was introduced to amend "disturbing the peace". It passed on the first reading. No decibel levels were included. A Temporary Use Permit was also introduced to the council by Cox.  

Ordinance 802 was passed on the third and final reading on September 20.  The Temporary Use Permit was approved in the October 4 meeting.  

While discussion of The Yard and music continued far into 2012, no formal action was taken by the council during this time. Discussion regarding The Yard has been introduced in 2021, with Shannon coming before the Saratoga Planning Commission on June 8 to discuss possible zoning changes.

 

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