During an early planning meeting for the Mifflin Street Block Party between city officials and neighbors, many of the details for the event remained uncertain, as organizers are working to find solutions to decrease public intoxication and ensure the event can continue safely.
While preliminary planning for the Mifflin Street Block Party still faces a number of challenges, students are hopeful solutions will be reached for the controversial annual event set to take place in May.
A meeting of the Mifflin Neighborhood Association Thursday produced extensive feedback from the police, residents and students on the fate of the upcoming block party and weighed the idea of a possible sponsorship for the event.
The Madison Police Department presented its own list of recommendations for what it would like to see at the event, including prohibiting street-use permits, not closing streets and continuing to enforce city ordinances. Officers in attendance also suggested lowering the emphasis on alcohol and promoting a positive theme for the event in order to ensure safety for attendees.
Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Chair Hannah Somers said the issue of a sponsor was difficult to work around, and a compromise of partial sponsorship or funding might be a better alternative.
Alcohol Policy Coordinator Mark Woulf said requiring a sponsor for one year was a big step. He said without a sponsor, there could be no street-use permit and therefore no parking, restroom facilities or street vendors, all of which were discussed in students’ meeting with Mayor Paul Soglin earlier this month.
Somers detailed three key efforts student volunteers are using as objectives for planning: restrictions in the residence halls on overnight guests, similar to those during Freakfest, no open containers on the street and a social media campaign to promote other events on the day of the block party.
MPD Lt. Dave McCaw said it would be difficult to apply the “Freakfest formula” to Mifflin, as the street is private property and cannot be blocked off.
Some members of the Neighborhood Association also raised concerns about students being pushed indoors or onto porches by prohibiting them from using the street.
“People need to know that just as many bad things happen on the street as do in houses and in backyards,” McCaw said. “It’s not the location. It’s too many people and too much alcohol.”
He said sponsorship for the event has been largely unsuccessful or has not achieved the goals the city has hoped. He said MPD would not rely on the event to be a police event if there is no sponsor to pay for them.
Additionally, the idea of moving the Block Party to an entirely new location was brought up with the hope of taking away some of the residential issues and hype associated with the area.
Student Council Rep. Devon Maier said moving the location of the Block Party would “kill” the event.
“Our attempts to rebrand it and make it more proactive and our ideas will have no opportunity to come to fruition [if the event is moved],” Maier said.
Somers and Maier, along with Mifflin Street resident Indy Stluka, presented their ideas for other events for students to rally around, including “Rock the Vote” in conjunction with upcoming elections and a community breakfast before the Block Party.
Ultimately, the Neighborhood Association and student government members decided to meet weekly to biweekly from next Sunday, Mar. 4, until the Block Party to reach a consensus and solution.
