Evansville board tables Tiki on Main weekly "bike night" after resident objections

The City of Evansville Board of Public Safety on Wednesday voted to table a request from Tiki on Main to hold weekly "bike night" events on Main Street while staff and the business work out parking, noise and emergency-access concerns.

Residents of the Renaissance on Main spoke at length during public comment, describing repeated noise, potential loss of on-street parking, ADA/ambulance access worries and municipal code questions. Stephanie Morris, an owner at the Renaissance on Main, and Paul Black, another owner, said the proposed schedule — Monday nights starting in mid-May — would be disruptive to condominium residents and elderly neighbors who rely on street parking and timely emergency access.

The residents asked the board to either deny the request or approve only a short trial with strict conditions. Morris said the original request had been advertised on social media before the board acted and that the event organizer had reduced proposed hours from an earlier 4–10 p.m. window to 5–9 p.m.; she asked the board to require that six parking spaces immediately in front of the Renaissance remain available and that noise limits be enforced. Morris also cited Municipal Code 10.15.0.05(a) regarding motorcycle parking and asked for interim enforcement if motorcycles and music exceed local noise limits.

Board members and staff discussed practical constraints: Main Street is one-way in the section at issue, which limits where barricades can be placed and requires that closures allow vehicles to turn around at a corner. Staff said special-event permits sometimes exempt routine parking rules and that police availability for enforcement during a weekly event would need confirmation. The board also heard suggestions to move the weekly bike night to a more commercial block (Franklin Street was suggested) or to allow a limited number of trial events before approving a standing weekly permit.

After public comment and staff discussion, a board member moved to table the request and direct staff to meet with Tiki owners and residents, check applicable ordinances, and return with recommended conditions or alternatives. The motion carried; no roll-call vote with named tallies was recorded in the meeting minutes.

The board did not approve the standing weekly permit at the meeting. Staff said they would contact Tiki owners (who were described in public comment as Todd Early and "Oscar") and return to the board with options, including the possibility of a short trial period and stipulations on barricade placement, pickup times and parking space preservation for adjacent residents.

Meeting context: the Tiki matter drew extended public comment and staff discussion, and it was the single item at the meeting that the board moved to table for further work.