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Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park is still in play for organizers of Hempstalk Festival, the marijuana legalization and advocacy event celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Bureau of Parks & Recreation officials received a new permit application from Hempstalk organizers on Wednesday, hours before the city's deadline to consider the festival's request. Paul Stanford, organizer of the festival, said the group hoped to submit an application a couple days before the deadline, but they were working to address all the necessary details.
"We're going to make certain we represent our community in a responsible, law-abiding manner," Stanford said. Hempstalk is intended to be a celebration advocating for legalization of marijuana for recreational use, and the use of hemp for industrial purposes. The new application comes with a new festival date proposed by the city — September 27-28 -- and another waiting game for Hempstalk supporters. In December, parks staff sent a scathing letter to Hempstalk denying a request for the 2014 event. Officials said the 2013 festival, held at Kelley Point Park, included a sea of problems, from illegal parking to event workers who were "deliberately indifferent to the rampant presence, sale and use of marijuana."
But Hempstalk backers appealed the denial, leading to a virtually unprecedented hearing before City Council in January. City Commissioners asked parks staff to work with Hempstalk to improve the event, despite law enforcement concerns about illegal drug use by minors. "It seems to me," Portland Mayor Charlie Hales said at the meeting, "that the place it ought to take place is Waterfront Park." Hempstalk organizers said Kelley Point posed many transportation and logistical issues, and they believe Waterfront Park will solve many of those concerns. It appears parks staff and Hempstalk organizers have followed council direction since late January. Parks officials sent a letter on Jan. 30, outlining conditions of approval. Parks requested specific and thorough responses to city concerns and intimated that despite City Council sympathies, parks "reserves the right to deny your application." "They've had every resource we could offer them," said Mark Ross, parks spokesman. Parks officials recommended security companies and other services to Hempstalk, Ross said. Now parks staff will review the permit request and determine whether Hempstalk supporters took city concerns to heart. Stanford agreed that parks staff has been helpful in recommending vendors and other details.
In the five weeks since receiving the park's latest instructions, Stanford said, "we coordinated with the various subcontractors, security people, dumpster people, trash facilities, nearby parking facilities." Hempstalk organizers aren't thrilled about hosting the event at the Hawthorne Bowl south of the Hawthorne Bridge. Stanford said they'd prefer holding the festival north of the Morrison Bridge, where the grass is flat and the area is more accessible to people with disabilities. Stanford said while his preferred weekend of September 6-7 is open for that area of the park, city officials said they couldn't use it because staff is replanting grass that weekend. He reiterated that Hempstalk 2014 would be different from events in years past. "We're going to search bags of people coming in," Stanford said. "We're going to make sure all the vendors sign a release that there's no marijuana smoking or sales or edibles in the park," he added. Vendors who've been guilty of that in the past won't be allowed in, Stanford said. It's not clear when parks officials will announce whether Hempstalk 2014 will indeed be held at Waterfront Park.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Oregonlive.com
Author: Andrew Theen
Contact: Contact Us | Oregonian Media GroupOregonian Media Group
Website: Marijuana festival organizers submit permit application for Waterfront Park event hours before city deadline: Portland City Hall Roundup | OregonLive.com
"We're going to make certain we represent our community in a responsible, law-abiding manner," Stanford said. Hempstalk is intended to be a celebration advocating for legalization of marijuana for recreational use, and the use of hemp for industrial purposes. The new application comes with a new festival date proposed by the city — September 27-28 -- and another waiting game for Hempstalk supporters. In December, parks staff sent a scathing letter to Hempstalk denying a request for the 2014 event. Officials said the 2013 festival, held at Kelley Point Park, included a sea of problems, from illegal parking to event workers who were "deliberately indifferent to the rampant presence, sale and use of marijuana."
But Hempstalk backers appealed the denial, leading to a virtually unprecedented hearing before City Council in January. City Commissioners asked parks staff to work with Hempstalk to improve the event, despite law enforcement concerns about illegal drug use by minors. "It seems to me," Portland Mayor Charlie Hales said at the meeting, "that the place it ought to take place is Waterfront Park." Hempstalk organizers said Kelley Point posed many transportation and logistical issues, and they believe Waterfront Park will solve many of those concerns. It appears parks staff and Hempstalk organizers have followed council direction since late January. Parks officials sent a letter on Jan. 30, outlining conditions of approval. Parks requested specific and thorough responses to city concerns and intimated that despite City Council sympathies, parks "reserves the right to deny your application." "They've had every resource we could offer them," said Mark Ross, parks spokesman. Parks officials recommended security companies and other services to Hempstalk, Ross said. Now parks staff will review the permit request and determine whether Hempstalk supporters took city concerns to heart. Stanford agreed that parks staff has been helpful in recommending vendors and other details.
In the five weeks since receiving the park's latest instructions, Stanford said, "we coordinated with the various subcontractors, security people, dumpster people, trash facilities, nearby parking facilities." Hempstalk organizers aren't thrilled about hosting the event at the Hawthorne Bowl south of the Hawthorne Bridge. Stanford said they'd prefer holding the festival north of the Morrison Bridge, where the grass is flat and the area is more accessible to people with disabilities. Stanford said while his preferred weekend of September 6-7 is open for that area of the park, city officials said they couldn't use it because staff is replanting grass that weekend. He reiterated that Hempstalk 2014 would be different from events in years past. "We're going to search bags of people coming in," Stanford said. "We're going to make sure all the vendors sign a release that there's no marijuana smoking or sales or edibles in the park," he added. Vendors who've been guilty of that in the past won't be allowed in, Stanford said. It's not clear when parks officials will announce whether Hempstalk 2014 will indeed be held at Waterfront Park.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Oregonlive.com
Author: Andrew Theen
Contact: Contact Us | Oregonian Media GroupOregonian Media Group
Website: Marijuana festival organizers submit permit application for Waterfront Park event hours before city deadline: Portland City Hall Roundup | OregonLive.com
