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ESCANABA -- The Escanaba Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has scheduled an upcoming work session to discuss recommendations regarding bicycle and skateboard traffic on downtown sidewalks.
During the DDA's regular meeting Thursday, held at the new marketplace, members discussed the issue which was brought to attention last December when a customer walked out of a downtown business and was struck and injured by a bicyclist who fled the scene.
During the city council's Sept. 7 meeting, the issue was discussed in depth by council members, the Public Safety director, the city attorney, and DDA Director Ed Legault.
After discussing several options, council members ended up unanimously approving a motion to have the DDA look at the issue and offer input to council.
During Thursday's DDA meeting, board members were in consensus to recommend council amend the city ordinance which actually prohibits bicycles and skateboards from being on sidewalks in business districts.
The ordinance has been on the books for years but is not enforced by local police because Public Safety does not want people riding bikes and skateboards on the roadway.
DDA members were sympathetic to the injured pedestrian, but also agreed bicyclists are welcomed downtown. The DDA decided to meet at 8 a.m. on Oct. 11 for a work session to further discuss the issue and come up with recommendations for council's Oct. 19 meeting.
In other business, the DDA agreed to offer each business in the DDA district a yearly 50-percent discount to use the new marketplace for a one-day business event scheduled during the work week, Monday through Friday. The cost would be $150 a day.
A motion was also passed for the DDA to apply for a license to serve food from the marketplace kitchen and look into a license which may be required for bands to perform on the marketplace stage.
The DDA board also approved hiring S & G Roofing to replace the roof of the DDA's administrative building at 1025 Ludington St. at a cost of $18,000.
When Legault was questioned after the meeting by the Daily Press about the status of the pasty drop downtown on New Year's Eve, he said the DDA board decided not to do anything this year but will discuss in the future about hosting an event next New Year's Eve, likely following the city's 9 p.m. fireworks.
At last month's DDA meeting, the board was informed the Bay de Noc Unitarian Universalists Fellowship in Escanaba -- which began the pasty drop event -- did not want its lighted pasty and was offering it to the DDA.
After much discussion on the event's pros and cons -- including costs, attendance, and the work involved -- the DDA made a motion to not accept the lighted pasty and agreed to discuss the upcoming New Year's Eve event in the future.
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Jenny Lancour, (906) 786-2021, ext. 143, jlancour@dailypress.net