GULF SHORES, Ala. – When the 41^st Annual National Shrimp Festival gets under way in October most of the art vendors will be moved to Alabama 182.

The Alabama Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce is already applying for permits with Gulf Shores and asked for the change in the layout.

“To give some more space to the actual festival goers we want to move the arts and crafts area to the highway,” Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs Grant Brown said. “The request does not include any additional road closures. The foot print would remain the same. This is just actually taking advantage of some of that dead space as people come and go from the festival.”

Shrimp Festival Committee Chairman Ron Kutter said the move will free up space on Gulf Place where the food vendors typically set up.

“What this does it frees up the gridlock that is the food boardwalk,” he said. “In the survey we did last year in one of the biggest complaints was there was no room to eat your food unless you sat on the boardwalk and dangled your legs.”

There will still be some tents in the area, but they will be a place where people can bring their food to eat.

“What we’re proposing to do is in that food boardwalk area is to still have tents there but the tents are going to have picnic tables, or shade stations,” Kutter said. “We’re still going to have stools right there if they choose to be there.

“There will still be some arts and crafts in that boardwalk area, but it’s still going to have flow. The whole thing is to ease up congestion.”

Mayor Robert Craft and several of the council members raised concerns about safety and access by emergency responders.

“There’s usually people around those vendors and tents and it’s usually real congested in that area at times,” Craft said.

Public Works Director Mark Acreman pointed out that only the south side of Alabama 182 would have vendors set up on it.

“We can still have emergency access,” Acreman said.

Kutter said the center turn lane, both travel lanes and the bike lanes on the north side of the road will be clear.

Gulf Shores Fire and Rescue Chief Hartly Brokenshaw said he believes vendors on Alabama 182 will cause no problems for his department.

“As far as traffic in that area, I think we’ll be fine,” he said. “We won’t have any problem if we have to go through there.”

Brown said emergency crews had no problem negotiating the crowds during the Hangout Music Fest and the Shrimp Festival is much smaller. The Hangout Fest drew about 35,000 a day and the Shrimp Festival typically draws about 10,000 a day.

“During this past Hangout Music Festival with the expanded site having some people on the highway added some room for festival goers within the venue,” he said. “We’re trying to mimic some of that same success. We did have police and fire vehicles going through the crowds responding during the music festival successfully.”

Craft pointed out that having booths to attract people rather than simple foot traffic might cause different problems.

“But if you got it handled then you’ve answered my question,” Craft said.

Vendors have been notified of the change and have no problem with the move, Kutter said.

“We polled some of the art vendors randomly, we called seven of them and asked them what they would think if we gave them more space,” Kutter said. “We’re mimicking what Fairhope has done a little bit as far as their ease and getting along out there. We’ve had great response. As a matter of fact, 17 vendors requested double space that we weren’t able to give them in the past.”

Starting last year, vendors were required to buy a city business license which costs about $100. Because of the fee, Kutter said there will be fewer vendors for the 2012 festival.

 “Normally there are about 74 slots and this year we’re still going to be short on that,” Kutter said. “They’re at the point they just don’t want to pay it. And this is festival season and there are lots of other festivals they can choose to go to.

“We’re short 15 of those vendors. That kind of hurts right there, but they are not going to pay. They are arguing about $100.”