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Organizers ask St. Joseph council to consider moving Joe Town Blocks into a contained block; no formal action taken
Summary
Organizers of the Joe Town Blocks event asked the St. Joseph City Council for feedback on relocating the festival into an enclosed block behind Minnesota Street to reduce impacts on Main Street; councilors asked organizers to deliver a list of last year’s costs and confirmed staff would review whether the city should officially sponsor the event.
Organizers of the Joe Town Blocks event presented a plan to the St. Joseph City Council to move this year’s festival from Main Street into a contained alley and block behind Minnesota Street, near Bad Habit and the meat market, to reduce friction with a nearby church and limit street closures.
Mary Bruno, who the organizers identified at the meeting, said the relocated footprint would be “more contained” and could avoid many of the problems the event caused when it ran on a Sunday on Main Street. Anne Reinser, also named as a representative for the group, described the proposed layout and said most affected businesses had been contacted and were “on board.”
Organizers asked the council whether the event should be considered a city event, saying city sponsorship could reduce fees and administrative hurdles such as special-event licensing and vendor charges. A council member asked whether the Economic Development Authority previously provided funding to the Convention and Visitors Bureau; the figure discussed (about $9–10, per comments at the meeting) was not resolved and councilors asked staff to confirm funding details.
City staff and councilors cautioned that any closures affecting private property would require explicit consent from property owners. Dwight (city staff) said the city could not override a private owner’s refusal to allow barricades or block parking and advised organizers to secure affirmative responses rather than assuming silence signified approval.
Council members asked the organizers to provide a written list of the costs they incurred last year and any specific requests for fee waivers or city services. David (staff) and Murphy were identified as the staff contacts who would review that list at a staff meeting and return recommendations to the council.
No formal motion or vote was taken on the Joe Town Blocks proposal; organizers left the meeting with direction to provide cost and map details for staff review.
