Bay City Commission narrows Midland Street closure dates, approves permit addendum

The Bay City Commission on Sept. 15 approved an addendum to the Midland Street "Feet on the Street" street-permit but amended it to delete the Halloween-weekend closure dates.

The amendment, proposed by Commissioner Charlebois and seconded by Commissioner Morris, passed with an 8-0 voice/roll-call vote after commissioners and event organizers discussed concerns about family-friendly daytime activities, whether the Midland Street Management Board had approved the dates, and the overtime costs for city staff to close and reopen the street multiple times in one weekend.

Commissioner Tenney moved to approve the addendum as presented; Commissioner Runberg seconded the original motion. Commissioner Charlebois offered the amendment to remove the Halloween-weekend dates, which Commissioner Runberg supported as a way to keep Midland Street available for family-focused daytime programming. "I am a big fan of the feet on the street," Runberg said. "I do think that ... it does make sense that we split some of these weekends and days for particular events. I'm a big proponent of making Midland Street family friendly, especially at the daytime hours." Commissioner Coakley said the amendment would allow the organizers to move forward with the daytime children's event knowing that the contested weekend would not be closed.

Merchant and event organizer Ashley Earl told the commission the family event is scheduled for Oct. 25 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. "It is on October 25 from 12 to 2," Earl said, and she described about 30 participating businesses, a map and QR code for the district and use of the Whales parking lot for a small festival area. Earl said the daytime event is intended to be alcohol-free and family-oriented; she said she opposes a separate weekend closure proposed previously for adult-oriented activities but supports the Oct. 31–Nov. 2 closure for nighttime/bar activity.

City staff and the city manager explained a practical hurdle: reopening the street for the children's hours and then closing it again for the rest of the weekend would require additional staffing and overtime costs. "The overtime would come and play a 100% for overtime," the city manager said when asked why the city could not open the street for part of a weekend without added expense. Staff also said the Midland Street Management Board had discussed the children's event and that the street closure request for the disputed weekend was submitted after the board's meeting; the board had not formally voted on that date set.

After the amendment was adopted without objection, the commission approved the addendum as amended in a roll-call vote recorded at the meeting; commissioners voting yes included Zanotti, DeWitt, Rhumburg, Charlevoix, Morris, Cubitt, Coakley and Tenney.

The approved permit addendum, as amended, allows additional dates for the Feet on the Street program but excludes the Halloween-weekend closure dates that were the subject of the amendment. The commission's action does not specify any new funding or assignment of overtime costs; the record indicates those costs remain the responsibility of the permit holder if they pursue additional closures that require city staffing.

Commissioners and staff encouraged the parties to continue discussions to find a solution that balances family programming with businesses that rely on weekend nightlife hours. The Midland Street Management Board and the permit holder may return with revised dates or a cost-sharing proposal for future street closures.