Things I learn going to events by closely observing and analyzing them

Movable table, but no chairs.

As mentioned in the previous entry, last Saturday was the Celebrate at the Confluence event sponsored by Seven Canyons Trust, held at Three Confluences Park on Salt Lake City's West Side.

I went.  While I was there the turnout was pathetic, which underlies the recent entry, "There should be community bulletin boards in commercial districts (and other places)."

I found out about it from a posting on NextDoor.  Again, I don't subscribe to various social media sites, where I may have been able to get information about it.  But what about all the people that get those notices, where were they?

Compared to the "grand opening" event four years ago, there were way fewer public organization participants, only one food truck, BUT a beer tent, and like before, music on the plaza.

I still enjoyed it, not just because of the beer, but because part of my enjoyment comes from the analysis.

Some of the things I learned:

• Movable tables and chairs are really cool, pioneered by Bryant Park.  But put out more chairs than two per table.  Larger groups will take chairs from empty tables, leaving nowhere to sit.
• If you want to make that particular park great, it needs to be regularly programmed.  Including activities for Spanish speakers, who make up a goodly segment of the population in the Greater West Side.
• There were only four groups with booths.  Three were issue related: Seven Canyons Trust, Jordan River Commission, and Utah Rivers Coalition.  Plus booths for doing stuff by Make Salt Lake, a makers space.
• The City Parks agency and other city agencies like the Mayor's Office or the Councilmember weren't represented.  Neither was the Glendale Community Council, which has banners up on the street.
• In 2022, the independent convenience store across the street marketed bait for fishing.  They don't anymore.
• They had corporate volunteers from Goldman Sachs and Delta Airlines--the major operator at Salt Lake International Airport.  Sugar House Park needs to develop similar relationships.  A couple people from Delta flew in from NYC, probably mostly for a vacation and service credits, but they weren't needed based on the turnout.
• I need to bring my own bag or backpack to events and shouldn't expect a booth to be offering bags
• Too many temporary recycling cans, not enough trash cans.  It would have been a good time to put those posters about what is appropriate to recycle and what isn't as an environmental education opporunity (and SLCGreen, the sanitation department could have been an exhibitor)

• Provide larger rolling carts (like from Home Depot) to help exhibitors move stuff from their vehicles to the site and back more efficiently.
• Some big events--and this wasn't--have ATM machines.  What about creating temporary phone charger setups?  I guess my battery is getting too much use and is starting to lose its charge.
• Usually the corporate volunteers get lunch provided by their firm.  Do they contract with food trucks for it?  If not, they should because that increases the demand and profits for the food trucks, making it more worthwhile to come out to the site.

• The beer garden area, granted it was on a hill, didn't have chairs and just a couple of tables.
• This was an unusual event with beer in a Salt Lake City Park.  It's allowed, not brought in by individuals, but as a special event permit.  Usually in a fenced off area.  They didn't have a fenced in area, but "signs saying no beer past this point."  With monitors at those points.  It seems a lot more chill to do it that way.
• I figured a cheat code on beer--I don't drink much anyway so it wouldn't matter to me.  Bring a couple different plastic cups to be able to have the same type as they use on the site, and bring your own beer and surreptiously pour one for your own consumption.  
• Although to be fair, Fisher Beer, a great brewpub in the city, charged the same prices at the event that they do at their brewpub.  But if you drink a lot, and its cheap swill type beer, the idea of bringing your own might pay off.

Music

• The Main Street Approach trainings I went to said that special events have to provide something to do, something to eat and drink, music, and restrooms.
• The problem with music is that depending on how loud it is it competes with everything else.  The exhibitor booths were placed too close to the music--even though it wasn't particular loud--so that it was hard to talk and hear, especially as those of us who age are losing some of our hearing.
• Place the exhibitor booths farther away from the amplified music
• As part of the music offerings, why not have one or two slots for karaoke, to get more community involvement.
• Provide larger rolling carts (like from Home Depot) to help musicians move their often heavy equipment like amps and speakers from their vehicles to the site and back
• Does it make more sense to provide a set of speakers that people can just connect to?
• The handwashing station had soap and paper towels, but no water.
• Technically this is a design issue for tent manufacturers.  The stage was set up with a 20 foot wide? tent.  It had three poles on each side.  If the middle poles were replaced with hard clear plastic instead of metal, view of the performers would be less obstructed. You can't see it in this photo, but the lead singer/guitarist often stood right in front of that pole.
• The items in the Silent Auction weren't that great.

Park/Urban Design/Maintenance

• Note that the Park has great design features wrt "the water}, allowing people to get close to the water in some areas, to view it from higher up in others, and where you don't want people to walk, incorporates native plantings.  It's okay to have one off special treatments for particular parks, depending on land and design context.
• Speaking of plantings.  Damn good.  Pretty much damn good too for the interpretational signage, which makes sense because the park is one of the newest in the system, so it was able to get new signage following the more recent guidance in the Salt Lake City Parks, Open Space, and Trail Signage Guidelines.  They didn't have to pay to replace older signage, which is always put on the back burner.
• There isn't a good gateway sign for the Park.  Salt Lake City Parks don't have dominant gateway signs at parks.  They have a blade sign with small type as their newest version.  It would disappear among the plantings, and can't compete with the commercial signage next door and across the street.  I suggest using a sign sized just like the V&L Auto Repair location next door.
• The standard size is 7 feet tall and 18 inches wide.  Too small.

The V&L Auto Repair sign is in the distance, but on the street, would dwarf the typical 7 foot tall city park entry/gateway sign.

I'm just dying to be able to put a parking garage style neon sign at the entrance to Sugar House Park, or on buildings we hope to develop in the future.

• Speaking of gateway signage, there should be a sign on the east bank of the Jordan River Parkway Trail.
• The interpretation signage at the Park should have included gnarly photos of before.  Most government communications tries to be positive.  And planning documents.  Show bad practice. People need to be able to see before and after to understand the depth of improvements and change. 
• One interpretation sign is slightly broken.  Were I holding an event, I'd try to do a walk through with enough time beforehand so that such problems could be fixed in advance.
• On the Parkway at the trail point where the bridge across the Confluences connects to the east bank of the River, there is no Jordan River Parkway trailhead sign.
• Restrooms and signage would enable the site to serve as a formal trailhead as part of the Jordan River Parkway.
• There were temporary porta potties, but if you want to make the park great, it needs a permanent restroom.  
• There are a couple of blank walls, one for the scenic overlook on the north side of the confluence, one on the south side, the retaining wall separating the Park from the abutting auto repair shop.  Seems to me an opportunity for public art as a way to ward off the potential for (more) graffiti. 
• This also relates to my point about thinking creatively about incorporating public art into facilities.  This would be an art program, safety and maintenance program all in one.  See: "Gaps in Parks Master Planning: Part Five | Planning for Public Art as an element of park facilities" and "Gaps in Parks Master Planning, Part Six | Art(s) in the Park(s) as a comprehensive program."
• Another opportunity may have been with a creative/artistic set of bicycle racks rather than the traditional hoops.

Fish decorative bicycle rack, Education Center with mural, 

Colorado Lagoon Park, Long Beach, California

A lot of empty space on that wall is perfect for graffiti.

• Even in 2022 I recommended that Parks invest better in walking and biking connections to the park, including crosswalks.  It still pertains.

 

• People had dogs, could we create street furniture appurtenance "hooks" for them to be tied to?
• As I have been recommending since 2003, electric plugs should be placed in tree boxes for more connections.  That would allow lighting for display booths and later hours.
• They do have a main box supporting electricity needs for the stage.
• Electrical connections should be provided for food trucks to reduce negative environmental impact including noise.
• As plantings have grown since the park opened in 2021, signage is obscured.  Make sure it's visible through pruning.
• The entrance to the park is set up as an upside down Y, connecting at an inner walkway.  Right there they have a bicycle rack.  A bicycle rack should really be placed more on the side of the space.
• Maybe they think it's okay in terms of its relationship to the Plaza, not the walkways.

Visitor center/trailhead/restroom facility

• Next door to the park is an old bungalow, that doesn't seem to be kept up very well these days.  But they allowed a bike valet service to set up in the front yard and there was an ambulance on call for first aid parked in the back yard.  I don't know if the City or Seven Canyons Trust or another entity owns that house.  But someone should.  It could be converted to a visitor and community center for the park.

• An example is how the University Neighborhood Partners program of the University of Utah has its office in a similar bungalow next to Jordan Park ("University of Utah University Neighborhood Partners program and community revitalization in West side Salt Lake City/County").  Although it doesn't seem as if it is designed to be a space open to the public.
• You could at least have some open hours and access to restrooms even if the building is closed.  The historic house across from Draper Centennial Park
• More parks should plan for this kind of co-location

Public restrooms for the Draper Historic Park, Draper, Utah

are located on the back of the Sorenson Home Museum

Conclusion.  All in all, I had a fun day.  I got to make many observations.  I picked up some great collateral materials which help trigger ideas for Sugar House Park.  (Couldn't get big printed documents from Utah Rivers Council, will have to go to their office.  I also noticed a printout for "Tabling Guidelines."  I hope I can get a copy.)  And a beer in a beautiful setting at a decent enough price.

Most importantly, incredibly great weather.  It was gorgeous day to be out.