Oak leaves
Groups planning events in 2014 will have to make arrangements for street and sidewalk encroachments 60 days in advance, following final approval of new rules Tuesday.
Last summer, an high number of festivals and outdoor events led to multiple street closings and even a couple of disputes over use of city parking lots. Perhaps due to the high volume of requests, the City Council did not always adhere to its own rules for higher fees and advance notice on events. The 60-day notice should allow adequate time for review of applications by public safety officials for crowd control and traffic concerns. See a post on last summer's festival concerns here.
Groups may need a reminder of the new rules once the weather breaks in spring, or the council will again be faced with last-minute pleas for permission to hold events. One of the favorite excuses this summer was that musicians had been booked and money had been spent on advertising. The new rules may make the city the first to know about event plans, instead of the last to know.
No comments:
Post a Comment