Those looking for hot deals this summer at the World's Longest Yard Sale will not have as many options in Walden. With Town Recorder Fern Lockhart already fielding calls from vendors looking to set up shop, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen is working to limit the number allowed within the town.
In addition to raising the total permit fee from $150 to $200, on the heels of a $100 increase last year, town officials voted to allow only one vendor on each property within town limits. Both passed unanimously.
"I have a hard time seeing what the benefit is to the citizens of Walden to all the commercial businesses setting up shop in one area for five or six days and disrupting the flow of traffic," said Alderman David Epperson, who made both motions. "People I've talked to indicate it is a hassle and is a problem."
Andrew Fisher of Waldens Ridge Emergency Services said there have been several accidents in conjunction with the yard sale. Hamilton County Sheriff's Office deputies also said there are safety issues with pedestrians more focused on looking out for bargains than oncoming traffic and cars haphazardly parked all over the road, in ditches and along the often very narrow shoulder.
Last year the town spent approximately $1,800 for barricades, police tape and additional officers for traffic enforcement, according to Lockhart. She said she doesn't see the need for such measures necessarily diminishing this year. With only five permit requests last year, the town lost money on the operation. Officials hope to offset costs more this year by increasing the permit fee.
For many organizations within the town, the yard sale is a big moneymaker. Bachman Community Center Executive Director Lissa Goeltz said it's the nonprofit's biggest fundraiser. The measures won't affect Bachman since it doesn't rent out spaces, but other entities will likely feel the pinch.
Lockhart said that with as many calls as she's gotten already, she's sure some spaces have already been rented.
"I think we ought to go ahead with it," Epperson said. "Last year we didn't take any action and it was the same situation. At some point we're going to have to take action. If somebody gets upset, they're going to have to get upset about it. They really shouldn't be renting these spaces until the town council has decided what it's going to do."