Chamber, merchants and organizers compromise on Main Street closure for May brisket cook‑off

City Council members on April 15 approved a modified street‑closure plan for the Imperial Valley brisket cook‑off after downtown merchants said prior closure plans would block access during a popular Gallery Night.

The event sponsor originally requested a closure that logistics staff later revised to avoid conflicts with a private event on May 16; additional revisions then moved the closure back onto Main Street to accommodate team cooking space. Business owners on North Plaza said repeated, last‑minute plaza closures have hurt downtown operations and asked that any barricades in front of plazas be delayed until after evening business hours.

Deb Smerden, a plaza merchant, told the council her gallery night runs 6–8:30 p.m. and that a barricade in place early in the evening would exclude several downtown businesses. “If we can do it at 8:30, that would be better than 7:00,” she said. Event organizers said the cook teams need overnight preparation to produce brisket for the following day and that earlier setup helps them meet food‑safety and timing constraints.

Council members, the chamber and event organizers negotiated during the meeting and agreed to a compromise: the city will authorize the modified Main Street closure map with one barricade moved one block west for security, require signage to slow traffic and ask organizers to delay erecting certain plaza barricades until 8 p.m. on the Friday night setup so that businesses’ Gallery Night customers can access storefronts before full closure. The council also directed staff and the chamber to formalize a downtown notification process for plaza businesses.

Chamber CEO Ramiro Diaz apologized for any notification gaps and said the chamber has historically provided door‑to‑door flyers at least two weeks before events; he urged consistent courtesy notices in future logistics. The council also agreed to add cost reporting for closures to budget discussions so members can see the fiscal impact of waived fees and closures.

Why it matters: The brisket cook‑off is a multi‑vendor, ticketed event organizers say will bring community activity and revenue; merchants view repeated street closures as a threat to evening retail foot traffic. Council action preserves the event while trying to reduce business disruption and improve stakeholder notification.

The council’s amendment passed unanimously; staff will provide the revised map to event organizers and prepare a notification plan for downtown merchants.