Fredericksburg Street Closures Get Their Hearing
A week from Friday, Fredericksburg residents will have an opportunity to air their thoughts about street closures in the city and the policies that will outline how and when they can happen.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Street closures are a topic that have often generated considerable discussion in downtown Fredericksburg.
The terrorist attack in New Orleans this January, however, brought safety concerns to the fore. There, a driver drove into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street killing 14 and seriously injuring another 57. In response, the Parks, Recreation and Events Department working with the Fredericksburg Police Department began looking at tightening the city’s policies on street closures.
Their suggestions, aired at the March 11 work session, included suggestions to have no street closures after 12 p.m., and require that races requiring street closures be completed by 10 p.m.
Those policies are currently on hold, as the city, merchants, Main Street, citizens and others look closer on the situation.
An important piece of this review will occur on Friday, August 15, in the Exhibit Room at the Fredericksburg Visitor Center between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. There, Main Street in partnership with the city, will host a public input session to gather community feedback on street closures.
The discussion will be facilitated by Arnett Muldrow & Associates, whose services will be paid for by some grant funding Fredericksburg Main Street secured from Virginia Main Street.
According to a press release from Fredericksburg Main Street, at this meeting “[t]he consultants will be listening and collecting public feedback as part of a broader effort to assess how downtown street closures impact traffic flow, economic activity, and community engagement.”
In addition to the public meeting from 5 - 6:30 p.m. there will also be “focus group” meetings in the morning, according to Chris Allen, Fredericksburg Main Street’s executive director. One will be with business owners, and one will be with city staff.
Allen says they expect the consultants’ report by the end of September, if not earlier.
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