Street closures approved for Brockport events

Street closures approved for Brockport events

When closing a portion of Main Street for an event, merchants and residents on both the north and south sides of the canal must be considered, Village of Brockport Mayor Mort Wexler said.

Requests from three organizations to close portions of Main Street for various events were considered at the April 2 board meeting and were approved following much discussion.

The first request was from SUNY Brockport to host a Brock the Port event on May 4 from 3 to 9 p.m. and wanted Main Street closed from Market to State for the event. Mike Davis, director of programs for the college said, "We anticipate there will be between 1,800 and 3,000 students and up to 1,000 community members at the event at various times throughout the day."

The event will feature inflatables, music and other activities.

Trustee Carrie Maziarz expressed concerns because Main Street is very busy in the downtown area on a Friday night but she said that with "appropriate traffic and detours marked that the village should be able to safely pull it off." She made a motion contingent on the SUNY events coordinators supplying the village with appropriate insurance certificates.

Trustee Maria Castaneda said, "The closure of Main Street for events from the sidewalk sale to the farmer's market have caused problems in the past. I'm not saying we shouldn't have these events, I just think we need to look at other venues. I caution the board to take the safety of the residents into consideration before making any decisions."

The second request from the Merchants Association which asked to close the street for its annual sidewalk sale in July. A letter was received by Pat Kutz, owner of Lift Bridge Books, who could not attend the meeting. It read, in part, "The sidewalk sale is important for merchants and is also an opportunity for community building. It gives the merchants an opportunity to clean house, generates cash for merchants and offers bargains to the shoppers."

She wrote that the closure of Main Street for the event was important to the event's success and community atmosphere. "This is really the only special event we have in which we ask for Main Street to be closed." In her letter, she reminded the board that the merchants pay their share of taxes in the village.

Castaneda said there was no reason that the sidewalk sale couldn't be held on the sidewalks rather than closing the roads down. "We need to think of alternate plans that don't involve shutting down Main Street."

Jo Matela, who was representing the Merchants Association, said, "We are local, we pay taxes, we live here. If you are looking to close Main Street for some events, then why not for all?"

Lakeside Hospital had also requested the road be closed for its second annual Great Bed Race. The event was to have taken place on the weekend following the merchant's sidewalk sale. Krys Staub, from the Lakeside Foundation, said she had been in contact with the Merchant's Association and were looking to work together and have the bed race in conjunction with the sidewalk sale, eliminating the need for a road closure for the following weekend.

The requests were passed unanimously.