Tension Over Geneseo SummerFest Vendor Insurance

GENESEO — Drama has erupted over the annual Geneseo Summer Festival in recent months due to s split between the Village of Geneseo and the Geneseo Merchants Association over an insurance policy dispute that the Village is now requiring vendors to have this year.

In June, the Geneseo Merchants Association (GMA) announced that it would not be organizing vendors for this weekend’s festival in the Village of Geneseo. According to the GMA, this was in response to the Village’s mandate that all vendors must pay for insurance, in case there is an accident and a shopper is injured. This policy increases the price for vendors to rent space out at the Village Park, Main Street, and Center Street in Geneseo to a minimum of $170 a day.

There are some who believe that mandatory insurance is necessary, in fact essential, to saving vendors money in the long run. Insurance agent Andrew Chanler, who is the liaison between the insurance company and the Village of Geneseo, said in an interview on Wednesday that the Village’s decision to require insurance was not made without careful counsel. It should be noted, however, that Chanler’s insurance agency was not the agency that advised the Village in its decision.

“The insurance company that is responsible for the Village of Geneseo recommended that the Village ask for proof of insurance.” said Chanler. “When an insurance company recommends something, it is usually a good idea to follow through with that recommendation.”

A few years ago, the Village of Geneseo switched insurance companies to New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal (NYMIR). With the switch of insurance companies came a change in policy, at NYMIR’s reccomendation. It turns out that NYMIR is much more strict about taking precautions than the Village’s previous insurers.

So while some experienced vendors see the insurance cost as a sign of the worst, others claim that the Village is wise to protect vendors from tons in losses in the case of an accident.

Anyone that has ever been to the Geneseo Summer Festival knows that large tents are everywhere, as well as heavy tables, and masses of people that cram into tiny spaces on a packed Main Street. Any Geneseo Festival veteran also knows that a sudden gust of wind could take those big tents anywhere, and into, over or through the crowd, especially during setting up and taking down. Passersby truly are physically vulnerable to a situation like this. In the case that a person is injured, and the vendor does not have an insurance policy, the Village of Geneseo is held responsible just as much as the vendor. A lawsuit could cost the Village dearly, and it would be less able in the future to put on the festival that is such an iconic Main Street summer tradition.

Many part-time vendors who are used to much lower set up charges are upset by the Village’s new policy. Larry Tetamore, who runs a small-time photography business that has been selling portraits at the festival for several years, expressed his displeasure with the new regulations.

“I just do this thing part-time. This is pretty much the only festival I really do.” Tetamore said Tuesday in a phone interview. “I reached out to my insurance agent to see what the cost would be for the policy, and I was told $350. It just isn’t worth it.”

When asked, Tetamore said he could not even consider approaching another agency that may be willing to offer a smaller fee.

“I already have an insurance policy that covers my equipment just about anywhere. It is unfair to ask me to get a whole new policy for just one weekend. I won’t make any money.” Tetamore added.

“We used to charge $50 a day for a vendor to put a tent up and sell goods. That was it.” Said Angel Berry, owner of Image Empire Salon on Main Street in Geneseo, Berry is also the Treasurer for the GMA. “Vendors began to tell me that it was too much money now that they needed to add an insurance policy on top of that.”

Berry added, “All of a sudden vendors are being asked to pay more for insurance, and in other towns they have festivals like this one, only they don’t ask for insurance.”

Berry contends that the insurance policy is the reason why there may be fewer vendors at this year’s festival. However, it so happens that the Corn Hill Arts Festival is also set to begin this weekend in Rochester. A festival as large as the Corn Hill simply offers more potential business for vendors than Geneseo’s fabulous but comparatively small Summer Festival.

“The reason why there is a policy in place is to protect the taxpayers in the Village of Geneseo from a lawsuit,” Chanler explained. “This is a precautionary step that is saving everyone money in the long run.”

It is true that some vendors, at their own discretion, have found it not worth the added insurance cost to rent a spot at the Village Park or on Main Street. This is not to say, of course, that the summer festival will be an event anyone should pass up, or that it will not carry forward with spectacular flair and flavor.

Sidewalk sales, featuring merchandise from several local stores, are set to open Thursday, and there are still phenomenal events lined up for Friday and Saturday as per usual in the park, including live music and great food. All are welcome and encouraged to come out and enjoy Geneseo’s Main Street at its best.