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Lock Haven council rejects recurring Grove Street weekend closure after residents decry noise; council pushes for coordinated application deadline
Summary
After extended public comment from neighbors and business owners, Lock Haven City Council rejected a request to allow weekly live-music closures on Grove/Willis/East Church from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Council asked staff to set an application deadline and encouraged businesses to coordinate and reapply for limited weekends.
Lock Haven City Council heard more than a dozen residents and business owners on a second-reading request to close segments of downtown streets for dining and regular live music from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Residents said repeated weekend concerts have disrupted sleep, caregiving and daily life. "Putting my baby down and hearing blaring music constantly, it's not working," said Michelle McCain, who told the council she lives one door down from the affected corner and that amplified sound and through-traffic have made her home difficult to occupy. Other residents described tenants unable to watch television or sleep and said prior complaints went unanswered.
Business owners and prospective venue operators defended the economic benefits of street events and urged equitable access. "There has to be some type of equity that is going for all the businesses in Lock Haven," Vinny Kershaw, who said he plans to open a nightly-entertainment venue downtown, told the council. A business owner who identified himself as Ben said his business reported losing about $9,300 in a comparable three-month period last year when street events were frequent.
Speakers also raised legal and technical questions. Nick Rolleczyk urged the council to reexamine the city's noise ordinance, citing a provision about "audible noise" thresholds and arguing the city should consider acquiring decibel meters; other commenters noted licensing issues handled by state authorities such as the PLCB and recommended checking whether festival or distributor licenses would apply for streets that are closed by the city.
Council members emphasized fairness and process. Several suggested adopting a single application deadline, then allocating weekends among interested downtown businesses so one operator does not monopolize Holy-weekend slots. The council said staff would bring a proposed deadline and process to the next meeting for consideration.
When the closure request came to a roll-call vote, the tally recorded in the transcript showed multiple "No" votes and one "Yes," with one abstention (Council member Alexander: No; Council member Brannert: No; Council member Conklin: No; Council member LaGuardia: No; Council member Stevenson: Yes; mayoral abstention recorded in the transcript as "Mayor Wong"). The recorded votes indicate the motion did not carry.
Council members encouraged business owners to coordinate among themselves and to submit formal use/closure requests by the deadline once the council establishes it. The council did not approve an ordinance change at this meeting; staff were directed to return with a deadline and process for allocating street-closure weekends.
