Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, and the Madison Police Department have scheduled a meeting for students who wish to discuss the date of the Mifflin Street Block Party. The meeting will be held Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Madison Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin St.
The police department passed out flyers to residents of the Mifflin Street neighborhood Monday night, according to Verveer. The flyers say the event will be held on May 7, the University of Wisconsin’s official Finals Study Day and the day before finals begin.
Verveer, whose aldermanic district includes Mifflin Street, said the meeting provides the opportunity for the police department and students to hear differing points of view on the “date issue.”
“I think it’s important for neighborhood residents and other interested parties to hear directly from the cops why they feel so strongly the party remain the first Saturday in May, even though obviously it’s a huge inconvenience to most students,” Verveer said.
Capt. Mary Schauf, assistant chief of police, said the police department has already scheduled officers for May 7, as opposed to April 30, one week earlier .
“I want to emphasize to the students it will be extremely costly to the city to do anything on the 30th. Costs would go up significantly,” Schauf said. “[The students] need to also consider what the rest of the city will say.”
According to Schauf, last year’s celebration cost the police department approximately $76,000. Officers scheduled for the daylong party are paid premium wages for the long shifts.
“Providing a safe environment doesn’t come free,” Schauf added.
Verveer said the meeting is important for the police department because of these staffing issues. The police department needs to know how many officers to deploy and on which weekend.
“I think it would also be helpful to know, if because May 7 is the eve of final exams, if the party potentially will be a lot less than the cops have grown accustomed to,” Verveer said.
Schauf said the police department prefers to plan ahead to maintain public safety, but in the event the block party occurs a week earlier, the police department would probably have to go to the City Council and ask for special funding.
“We’re in the kind of business where we tend to be very reactive,” Schauf said.
UW junior Jessie Kosinski, a Mifflin Street resident, said she does not feel strongly about which day the party is held, but those who do feel strongly should attend the meeting.
“I think [the police] will listen but I’m not sure what the students could say to make them change their minds since they already know the basic argument — that it is exam week, and that’s not when people will want to go [to the block party],” Kosinski said.
Verveer said he hopes for a good turnout at the meeting Thursday night.
“I don’t want people to be bashful. People should be able to express their views and concerns,” he said.
