Ledger-Dispatch

By Scott Thomas Anderson (sanderson@ledger-dispatch.c= om)=20

The owners of Teresa's Place Restaurant = on=20 Jackson Gate Road/North Main Street are charging that the Historic = Jackson=20 Business Association's downtown events are hurting their = business.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson
Monday's Jackson City Council = meeting was=20 punctuated by tense exchanges and emotional outbursts as a number of = restaurant=20 owners from North Main Street argued that their livelihood is being = threatened=20 by the activities of the downtown business district.

The = controversy=20 started Oct. 27, when members of the Giurlani and Miller families, = owners of=20 Teresa's Place Restaurant, sent a letter to the city of Jackson = complaining that=20 access to North Main Street had been cut off during various downtown = events this=20 year. These events included Dandelion Days, the Gold Country Cruise, = Heritage=20 Day, Christmas Delights and a half-hour during the annual Halloween = parade. The=20 Giurlanis and Millers stated that closing the intersection to North Main = Street=20 at any time was extremely damaging to their businesses' revenue. They = also=20 claimed that it was hurting Buscaglia's Restaurant, a hair salon and two = bed and=20 breakfast inns located near them. Though Dandelion Days is put on by the = Jackson=20 Lions Club, the North Main Street business owners directed much of their = anger=20 at the Historic Jackson Business Association.

The main = spokesperson for=20 the Teresa's owners was Alicia Giurlani Miller. "The city of Jackson, in = conjunction with the HJBA, recently held an event called Heritage Day to = celebrate our long history," she said during public comment Monday. = "It's ironic=20 that such an event would exclude the buildings and roads that are the = oldest in=20 the city. Jackson has no good criteria or protocol for closing the road. = Basically, as business owners on North Main Street, our fate is = determined by a=20 paid member of the HJBA and city staff who supports that = person."

The=20 "person" Miller was referring to was HJBA president Toni Fancher. Before = the=20 meeting had started, Fancher passed out a letter in which she said the = HJBA=20 recognized the importance of including the businesses on North Main in = their=20 activities and wished to have a cooperative relationship with them. When = Fancher=20 spoke at the podium, she emphasized that there seemed to be little=20 communication, cooperation or compromise coming from the Teresa's=20 owners.

"I honestly didn't know this was a problem until = recently,"=20 Fancher explained. "The HJBA only closes the road one night out of the = entire=20 year during their dinner hour. We'd be willing to help come up with a = way to=20 show visitors how to get to their restaurant during our events. This = whole thing=20 is getting blown out of control. All of us are hurting right now. We're = all in=20 the same position. The fact that (the Giurlani and Miller families) are = trying=20 to start a fight when we've never sat down to talk about it floors=20 me."

One of the Teresa's owners, Philip Giurlani, said his = frustration=20 stemmed from his family's trouble planning ahead to recoup losses from = downtown=20 events, because they often didn't even know when they were taking=20 place.

Mayor Rosalie Pryor Escamilla wasn't buying it.

"I = find it=20 very difficult to believe that these events, which are happening year = after=20 year, are coming as a surprise to you," she told him. "The idea that you = don't=20 have time to either get involved and participate - to find a way to take = advantage and market yourself - or just go ahead and take the day off, = doesn't=20 make sense."

The next person to approach the podium was Robert = Mees, who=20 said he was functioning as some type of paid consultant on behalf of = Teresa's=20 Place Restaurant. "We're still working on the numbers," Mees told the = council.=20 "But it appears that every time Jackson closes that intersection for an = event,=20 there's a 30 percent drop off in sales at Teresa's."

When asked = by the=20 mayor if Mees brought any paperwork or evidence to the council meeting = to=20 support his claim, he admitted he hadn't. He then declared there was no=20 justification for the city to close the intersection at all. "This is = wrong," he=20 said. "I'm shocked and angered that this issue has even arisen. It seems = only=20 downtown matters to the council."

Jackson Police Chief Scott = Morrison,=20 with Jackson Fire Chief Mark Morton by his side, explained that there = were=20 reasons for wanting the intersection closed in past years. "These are = events=20 where there's a lot of people moving around and a lot of children moving = around=20 and huge horse and carriage going up and down the street," Morrison = explained.=20 "Closing the intersection was done solely for the purpose of public=20 safety."

After further discussion, Mees approached the podium = again. "I=20 have still have not heard one compelling reason for closing the = intersection,"=20 he said.

"Really?" Pryor Escamilla said dryly. "For some reason, = public=20 safety just sounds like a compelling reason to me."

Charlene = Buckley, a=20 Jackson resident and president of the Amador County Historical Society,=20 attempted to bring some outside perspective to the situation. "Your area = is=20 beautiful and I want to support you," Buckley told the Teresa's owners. = "I want=20 visitors to Jackson's events to go see all of the great historic sites = that are=20 out there. But we all need to work together across the board. Times are = tough -=20 don't blow it up from within."

Toward the end of the meeting, = Giurlani=20 attempted to strike a calmer tone. "All we're really asking is that if = visitors=20 who come to these events want to go to one of the restaurants or bed and = breakfasts that are on North Main, that there be a realistic and easy = way for=20 them to do that," he told the council.

The council ultimately = directed=20 city staff to reevaluate safety issues around the intersection for = Saturday's=20 Christmas Delights. The motion also called for all interested parties to = sit=20 down and discuss the matter together. Right before it passed, Councilman = Wayne=20 Garibaldi attempted to inject an air of unity.

"There has to be a = community spirit here," he said. "In these times we're facing, we can't = make our=20 future about one group of businesses here and one group of businesses = over=20 there. We'll either sink or swim together."

Scott Thomas = Anderson