Elkader Council approves street closure amid business owner’s objection
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The continued efforts of Main Street Elkader (MSE) to promote the town have been met by a supportive community, but the organization’s recent request to close North Main Street on June 3, from 6 to 9 p.m., for the Light up the Night event, was met with a little pushback at the recent Elkader city council meeting from Elkader Cinema owner Lee Akin, one of the businesses affected by the closure.
Prior to council’s decision, Danielle Shea, who has spearheaded the Light up the Night project, gave a brief overview of what the event will entail. Shea mentioned live music, cross-promotional efforts and a willingness to include as many businesses as possible. These businesses will be offering specials and extending hours, and some will even have activities. It all culminates in a celebration at TD’s Sports Bar and Grill.
The conversation initially centered on that outreach, and Shea assured the council that MSE followed all the procedures for street closures, which city administrator Jennifer Cowsert confirmed. Akin maintained his objection, though. While council members discussed the increased foot traffic, which could bring in moviegoers, Akin stated that such a scenario “has not been [his] experience.” He added that, when it comes to street closures, he tends to “get the short end of the stick.”
Akin’s “short end of the stick” statement includes the claim that street closures in front of his business have “occurred numerous times over the years and some years it has happened multiple times, but I do not have a count.”
This disruption has the potential to impact ticket sales, and the weekend of the Light up the Night closure coincides with the theater’s showing of the latest summer blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick, which is expected to be a huge draw and is a costly venture for the theater.
In a separate interview, Akin elaborated on what he meant, stating, “I have brought this to the attention of the city council numerous times and my concerns have largely fallen on deaf ears. It seems like the pain this causes my business is always going to come in second as far as the council is concerned, and this time was no exception.”
Akin added his biggest objection to street closures is “that it disrupts the parking for my customers so much that it hurts business. If people think parking is too big of an issue, this could cause them to change their plans. It could cause them to reconsider going to the movies in the future as well, if the last time they went to the movies parking was a hassle.”
Some of these fears were shared by council members, including Peggy Lane, who expressed concern about movie parking while also acknowledging the benefits of the event. The situation was a “balancing act,” as Lane put it, and she pushed for increased partnerships between MSE and businesses when street closures are wanted. These partnerships, as far as Lane is concerned, “mean being able to work with groups toward a common goal that benefits all parties.”
Council member Tony Hauber also expressed sympathy for Akin’s plight and looked for ways to make sure Akin’s business was being helped by the event, rather than adversely affected.
Hauber further explained what he meant by this in a separate interview, stating, “Lee is saying this will cause him to lose potential revenue. At a time when people are recovering from a pandemic and the bridge closure has reduced traffic, a loss of revenue on an essential weekend night has potential to cause harm to his business. I also feel we are in times of great uncertainty and that makes people really worried about the future, and I can definitely relate with that.”
“Additionally, the MSE promotions committee has made continued efforts to reach out to him and help promote his business that night. With these efforts and increased foot traffic, my hope is that we will mitigate any potential harm to his business the closure would cause,” Hauber added.
Council member Deb Schmidt acknowledged Akin’s frustration, but said streets aren’t closed down that often. “As a business owner, I would have to say I would certainly think that bringing people into town to see that there was even a movie there would be a plus. Because you’re going to bring new people into town every time you have an event.”
In a separate interview, Schmidt also “applauded” MSE’s and Shea’s efforts for “going the extra mile” in getting concerned businesses involved with the event.
During the meeting, Hauber and council member Randy Henning attempted to discover a scenario in which Akin would support a street closure, and while Akin insisted he was not against them in general, he added, “don’t close the street in front of my business.”
“I feel that, with such a small town, closing a street is going to cause major parking disruptions regardless of where in town it is. Obviously, the closer to the theater the bigger the disruption it will cause, but if you have a big event and a lot of cars come in for the event and you close off a block or two of parking on top of that, then it will be a big impact on a tiny town and doesn’t leave much room for anything else,” Akin explained further in the interview.
At one point during the meeting, Shea mentioned promoting the theater in the event speech and throughout, as a way to include the business. “I think, as a city council, you have to make decisions based on what’s going to benefit the entire community the most,” she added.
In general, that statement was met with agreement from Hauber, Schmidt and Lane in their interviews.
The council ultimately voted unanimously to approve the street closure, but with Lane and Schmidt adding the caveat that MSE partner in some way with the theater and work toward preventing this issue in the future.
For Akin, the decision provided further frustration. In the interview after the vote occurred, he said, “The fact that I barely heard about it before it happened, even though I have brought it up numerous times in the past, speaks volumes to me about the level of concern this causes the council. My business brings in people from around the county and beyond, day in and day out, 365 days a year, and when I raise my hand and say this hurts us, I had hoped to get a little compassion from the council.”
