City officials have begun work with student organizations to plan for this year’s Mifflin Street Block Party, looking to the perceived success of recent years for direction in the upcoming months.
Law enforcement officials and city staff have attributed much of the success to sponsorship of the event and coordination between various city agencies.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said building on the success of last year hinges largely on preparation and keeping all involved parties well-informed.
“This is just the beginning of the conversation,” Verveer said. “I think starting this early in the planning phase bodes well for the event.”
Verveer said city officials plan to once again meet with neighborhood representatives to establish expectations for the event, a process Verveer said is essential to the annual celebration’s continued success.
Captain Mary Schauf of the Madison Police Department’s Central District presented the after-action reports regarding both the 2009 Mifflin Street Block Party and Freakfest events to the Public Safety Review Committee Jan. 12.
Schauf noted both events were seen as more successful than previous years due to city services coordinating resources and information in a more efficient manner.
Total arrests for the 2009 Mifflin event were recorded at 164. A police report following last year’s events puts the 2008 arrests at 440, with the most common charge in 2009 being open intoxicants.
Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, and his predecessor Eli Judge, both committee members, referred to the “swarm mentality” of law enforcement during previous years regarding individuals with open intoxicants setting foot on the sidewalks during the event.
Eagon commended MPD on its leniency during the most recent event and praised its increased use of signage and verbal warnings before resorting to arrest.
Safety was a main topic of discussion regarding the 2009 Mifflin events. Schauf noted the combination of alcohol, aging houses and overcrowding was a major concern, prompting building inspections by the Madison Fire Department and other city agencies.
“People seem to understand that when the fire department is there, that it’s about safety and not citations and they comply,” Schauf said.
The city also released numbers for 2009’s Freakfest event. According to a statement, city officials said the lower costs, arrests and instances of property damage can be attributed to the continued sponsorship and coordination of the event by numerous city departments and promoter Frank Productions.
The statement from the city puts net costs for 2009 at $41,667, the net costs for the event having fallen steadily since 2006, the first year of Freakfest. Numbers provided by MPD put total event revenues at $170,968.
Both arrests and costs for the 2009 celebration were down significantly from previous years. Arrests for this past year’s event totaled a mere 52, compared to the 2004 high of 578 arrests.
The city estimates the 2009 event drew around 44,000 participants to the downtown area.
