Council approves Second Street and Third Avenue closure for Cheese Fest to reduce shortcutting and improve safety

The City Council approved a temporary closure of Second Street and Third Avenue on the east side of Land Lakes to address public-safety concerns and reduce shortcutting of designated detour routes during Cheese Fest.

Council member Paul explained that over past events traffic had not followed the detour established by Public Works and that some drivers were cutting across the east side in front of Lakes businesses. He said he had contacted business owners he could reach and that those contacted supported the proposed full barricade closure; the council recorded a motion and second to approve the closure.

Council asked that Public Works and the police chief coordinate with businesses regarding semi-truck access and specifically communicate with a business partner referenced in the discussion ('Landes and Egg Partners' in the record) so those partners are not negatively affected. Staff said the barricade plan would route festival traffic back through Main Street and that the only exit from the blocked area would be through the Main Street detour.

Why this matters: the closure is a short-term, safety-focused change for a special event; staff were directed to coordinate operational details with affected businesses and to ensure signage and traffic control for commercial deliveries during event setup and takedown. No alternate traffic schemes or permit conditions were recorded in the provided transcript.