Finance Committee approves Olin Park agreement for Holiday Fantasy and Lights; Parks staff will support car-free nights

The Finance Committee voted unanimously on March 17, 2025, to approve an agreement allowing the Electrical Workers Local 159 Labor Management Cooperative Committee Fund Trust to use portions of Olin Park for the Holiday Fantasy and Lights event, including installation of holiday lighting and permanent infrastructure. President Figueroa Cole moved to adopt the item; the motion was seconded and recorded as approved without objection.

The item drew a single substantive question from Alder Evers, who asked whether previous car-free, pedestrian- and bicycle-focused nights at Olin Park could be lost under the new agreement. "There were a a couple public comments that were registered expressing concern about the possibility that a car free event centering bicyclists and pedestrians and lights at Olin Park ... that that might go away. Could you speak to that, please?" Evers asked.

A Parks department staff member responded that the current agreement is intended to make it easier for the event organizer to hold car-free nights. "So the agreement that you have in front of you is for the Fantasy and Lights. That has been held at Olin Park for many years. And in the last 3 years, the event organizers have worked with the community in order to do the car free nights," the staff member said. The staff member added that the contract changes clarify organizers can hold a car-free event without requesting additional permission beyond coordinating traffic management with the city: "They don't have to do additional permits other than, communicate with us about traffic management. But really, we tried to make it so that this is something that, if they would like to have a car free event, we are gonna make it as easy as possible to happen."

The staff member said the city will not compel organizers to stage car-free nights but is willing to work with event organizers, bike advocates and others to facilitate the arrangement: "We have not used this agreement to compel them to do a car free event... We are more than willing to work with the organizers and bike advocates and anyone else who would like to in order to facilitate that discussion."

During the hearing, Alder Evers asked the Parks staff to work with the bike community and organizers to seek a compromise that would allow car-free nights to continue; the staff member agreed to do so. The committee recorded a unanimous vote in favor of the item and then adjourned.

The committee also approved the consent agenda (all items except item 10) by unanimous voice vote before taking up item 10.