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Helotes business owners urge city to create notification system after unannounced Old Bandera Road closures
Summary
Owners of Spread the Loaves and other residents told Helotes council unannounced road closures for events left businesses without access and cost the bakery about 11% in sales on the affected day; commenters asked the city to require earlier notice to businesses and to consider adding public restroom facilities on the north side of Old Town.
At the Nov. 13 Helotes City Council meeting, small-business owners from Old Town urged the city to create a notification system for road closures after an unannounced closure of Old Bandera Road for a permitted 5K redirected customers and disrupted a bakery's busiest day.
Sophie Jeffrey, co-owner of Spread the Loaves (14743 Old Bandera Road), said she discovered signs staged at side roads and that customers and staff were unable to reach the bakery without last-minute changes. "With advanced notice, we could have helped prevent this and advised her to visit at a later time," Jeffrey said, recounting a mother who walked to the bakery to reach the food pantry on its porch. She asked council to implement a notification system so businesses and residents can prepare for future events.
Justin Sparkman, chef and co-owner of Spread the Loaves, told council the bakery's sales fell about 11% on the day of the closure and said better advance communication would have allowed the business to adjust staffing, pickup slots and customer outreach. He also suggested adding a restroom facility on the north side of Old Town to serve visitors when businesses cannot accommodate public needs.
Mayor (speaker 1) and staff responded that permitted races and 5K events are required to contact affected businesses in advance and said staff would follow up to determine why the notification did not reach these business owners in this case.
The comments came during the "citizens to be heard" segment; council members and staff agreed to investigate the communication breakdown and to follow up with event organizers about required notification procedures.
