Shorewood committee debates pilot to close North Morris for 2025 trick-or-treat; no formal action taken

President McKay, chair of the Shorewood Committee on Business Relations, opened the committee meeting saying, "We have one agenda item this evening: consider a pilot program for multiple block party permit application for North Morris roadway closure or trick or treat in 2025." The committee discussed whether to let residents close a short segment of North Morris Boulevard for Halloween but took no final vote.

The committee’s nut graf: members generally supported trying a pilot but flagged operational limits — staffing, the need for a hard closure at Capitol Drive, and liability concerns — and agreed to ask the village board to take up the proposal rather than adopt a committee-level process that would immediately commit village resources.

Committee members described the proposed pilot as narrowly focused on a short segment of North Morris Boulevard near Triangle Park. Trustee McGovern said she was "generally in favor of this sort of thing," calling it a way "to make it easier for people" to hold a holiday closure. Several speakers noted the segment has only two openings and is shorter than earlier proposals, but that a hard closure at Capitol Drive would still be required to prevent through traffic.

A staff member warned that, "it would require hard closure still at Capitol," and said that staffing and overtime for police or public works personnel could be the limiting factor. Committee members asked staff to consult with public safety and public works leadership about whether personnel would be available to set and monitor barricades for a multi-hour closure. One trustee summarized the operational trade-offs: if multiple blocks request closures at the same time, the village may not have resources to cover more than one location.

President McKay and others repeatedly emphasized safety and liability as reasons for a formal process. "If the village board disregard[s] those recommendations, then I think I would be concerned that we're opening ourselves to liability if somebody were to be injured," said an attendee identified in the transcript as President McKeague. A committee member noted the existing practice of closing streets for events elsewhere in the village and asked staff to explain why a three- or four-hour closure for trick-or-treat would be materially different.

On logistics, committee members discussed specific segment endpoints mentioned during the meeting — proposals to close North Morris from Elmdale (or Elmdale Court) to Olive, rather than from Capitol Drive to Olive, and noted at least one alley and an intersecting street (Kenmore) that tee into the segment. Trustees also proposed a first-come, first-served approach if multiple blocks apply in the same time slot.

Rather than adopt a new permit process at the committee level, the committee chair asked that the item be placed on the next village board agenda for further consideration and for formal input from the police chief and Director Buschlik in the Department of Public Works. The committee took no substantive votes on the pilot program itself.

The meeting closed with a procedural motion. Trustee McGovern moved to adjourn; a second was given and the motion carried unanimously. The committee adjourned at 6:26 a.m.

Less urgent details: trustees said they preferred Trustee Ersink (not present) be included in further discussion because the proposed closure affects his block, and several members suggested staff and department heads bring recommendations about staffing and liability to the village board before any final permission or new permit process is created.