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Cross Plains approves Trout Days permit but defers street‑closure plan after businesses warn of access, safety harms
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Summary
The Village of Cross Plains approved a 12‑day permit for Trout Days but withheld approval of the Mill Creek Parkway street closure and parking plan after business owners and property managers said closures would block customer access, threaten disabled parking and emergency egress; trustees asked organizers to return with a detailed traffic plan.
The Village of Cross Plains board on March 23 approved a Trout Days special‑event permit while explicitly withholding approval of a proposed Mill Creek Parkway street closure and related parking plan.
Several business owners and a property manager told trustees that closing Mill Creek for the event — currently proposed for Saturday, May 2 — would cut off customer and patient access and could force some small businesses to close for the day. Alicia Abney, owner of PJ’s Pizza at 1830 Main Street, said closing the road would disrupt delivery drivers and leave her business to “bear the cost of me closing,” and asked the board to consider monitored blockades or reserved parking that would allow pickups to continue.
"Shutting the pharmacy down in no way that people would be able to pick up their prescriptions is not the greatest idea," Lisa Kostecki of Cross Plains Pharmacy told trustees, noting accessibility concerns for customers with limited mobility and asking for guaranteed customer access, employee parking and documented accommodations or for the permit to be denied or delayed.
Eden Larson, a property manager for MGL Properties representing residents at Esserka Place, said Mill Creek is the only egress for some tenants and that first responders who live in the building could be directly affected by a closure. "We fully support Truck Days once again and want to prioritize community safety," Larson said, while requesting that the organizers address residents’ and businesses’ concerns.
Police Chief (name given in the meeting transcript) told trustees that public safety was the top priority and warned that fully staffing and enforcing a street closure would strain department resources. The chief said the department could provide additional overtime coverage this year but emphasized that officers assigned to special duty must remain on post and may be unavailable if a real emergency occurs.
Board members and staff discussed possible compromises including a one‑way traffic plan, staffed barricades at the ends of Mill Creek, signage marking business‑only access, and moving some activities from the roadway into Zander Park or the multiuse path to reduce pedestrian crossings across traffic. Trustees asked organizers, public safety and the affected businesses to meet and return with a detailed traffic and parking plan addressing emergency access, resident egress and business pickups.
President Lincoln moved to approve the event permit excluding authorization for street closure and parking changes; the motion passed. The board said the permit approval allows organizers to proceed with non‑traffic elements of the event but that the street‑closure decision will be revisited after the traffic plan is finalized at a special meeting. The board also approved temporary alcohol licensing for the event.
The board asked organizers to explore directing guests to south‑side parking (including Village Hall and Bourbon Street lots) and to consider paid private security or volunteer staffing to enforce reserved spaces if police staffing is not feasible. Trustees set a follow‑up special meeting to finalize the traffic plan before the event.
