It was the winter of their discontent for the artists at Gallery
Morgan Hill, who claimed the reconstruction of Depot Street
– which ripped up sidewalks and blocked parking at the Granary
building – triggered their sales to dwindle to an all-time low.
Morgan Hill – It was the winter of their discontent for the artists at Gallery Morgan Hill, who claimed the reconstruction of Depot Street – which ripped up sidewalks and blocked parking at the Granary building – triggered their sales to dwindle to an all-time low.
But the artists found a ray of sunshine Wednesday night, when the Morgan Hill City Council voted 5-0 to issue $4,800 in financial assistance for rent, marketing and other operational expenses, allowing the 16-year-old cultural coop to avoid what its director said might have been certain death.
“We were really stuck between a rock and a hard place,” said Gallery Morgan Hill co-director Mary Hiller, clearly relieved after the council’s vote. “We knew ahead of time (the street construction) was going to take place, but we had no idea of the scope of it, and that we would have our own parking lot closed as well as losing the parking on the street with the sidewalks being taken out.”
Owned and operated by a collective of 16 artists, the gallery moved from its original location at the Downtown Mall to the Granary last April. The move occurred before the under-grounding of utilities on Depot Street, which began last June. Major construction work on the street began last September and is nearing completion.
An analysis by the city shows the gallery’s average monthly losses skyrocketed during the construction to a high of $795 by mid-February. Additionally, the number of walk-in customers at the gallery fell from an average of 116 per month before last July to 50 per month by January. December was a particularly devastating month, Hiller said, forcing the cash-strapped artists – who’d already forked out $4,760 in loans to keep the gallery open – to consider packing it in.
“We contacted our landlord to give notice for the end of the month,” Hiller said, adding Granary owners and co-tenants, architects Charles Weston and Lesley Miles, brought artists’ struggles to the attention of Councilman Greg Sellers, a longtime gallery supporter and chair of the city’s Community and Economic Development Committee.
“Everyone was saying, ‘No, we don’t want to see you go,’ ” Hiller said.
While agreeing to provide the financial assistance – and specifying the money could not be used to pay back loans – the city council also expressed its desire to set policies to guide its efforts to help businesses during future construction projects initiated by the city. Of particular concern is the Third Street beautification project, expected to break ground in early 2008.
“We want a policy … but in this case … this is an aberration with a unique set of circumstances,” Sellers said, alluding to what he sees an opportunity to buoy a cultural asset in the community. “I don’t think there will be another situation like this” as other downtown construction efforts move forward.
Hoping to take a proactive approach before bulldozers arrive on Third Street, the council pledged at its policy summit in January to convene with business owners this year to find solutions before problems arise.
“It’s incumbent on the city council to let people know what’s happening,” said Councilwoman Marby Lee, “so this situation doesn’t repeat itself.”.
