Preparations for the upcoming Mifflin Street Block Party are nearing completion with Wednesday’s conditional approval of a street use permit.
The permit will likely be granted once the organizers have all their insurance in place, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.
Event organizers Ny Bass and David Coleman of DCNY PRO LLC came before the city’s Street Use Staff Commission yesterday to put the finishing touches on plans for the annual event, scheduled this year for May 1.
“We assumed that the meeting would go great, and it did,” Bass said. “We’re in the final stages for pulling this all together right now.”
Madison Police Department Central District Capt. Mary Schauf said the event is set to formally begin at noon, coinciding with the beginning of sales at the beer garden, a revived addition to this year’s Mifflin festivities.
The idea behind the beer garden, Verveer said, is to provide a place for Madison visitors to enjoy their stay without having to establish connections with Mifflin residents or risk citations for open intoxication on the street or sidewalks.
DCNY organized last year’s event, the first formal sponsorship since 1995, and has been praised by city officials for their part in considerably lowering the number of arrests and citations issued. Verveer added he is enthusiastic this year’s event could see similar successes.
Insurance for the event and specific permits for the beer garden are all that remain for final approval.
Verveer said a neighborhood meeting is planned for the week before the event to coordinate the police and fire departments, event organizers, city staff and area residents’ efforts in ensuring a successful and safe event.
He added two items will come before City Council in the coming weeks: To define a glass-free area for the day of the event and establish an exclusive vending area.
Bass said the thorough information provided on the street use permit application, combined with the success and organization of last year’s event has allowed any significant issues to be resolved ahead of time.
“They just want to make sure that we cover all of our bases with that,” Bass said. “We’ve been in great communication; we haven’t hit any major hiccups along the way.”
