Fit to be Thai'ed

[XLFD]

Three hours ago, a business right off the downtown plaza, Thai Mango, put up a Faceball post showing a couple of pictures and their disappointment with the City's planning of the New Year's Eve festivities for the night.  It seems their business is cut off from the rest of the world by a series of fences and other obstructions put around the plaza to shut off traffic from the area where the 'beer tent' is going.  The beer tent is not scheduled to be operating until 9 PM.  This shuts off the plaza area businesses for their own paying customers for the whole afternoon and night, leading Thai Mango to regrettably inform their loyal customers on their post:

"Due to the City putting fences up for tonight's ball drop, and the inability to access our business we regret to inform you that we are closing. Happy new year."

More of the fencing and other roadblocks can be seen in the other picture:

The City's Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is supposed to be set up to help all downtown businesses thrive with the nearly $200,000 they spend each year, mostly funded with their own millage (tax) and a hefty tax increment financing rate.  They run these public events, with logistical (and usually free) help from the DPW.  Wouldn't it be nice of the DDA to consider the plight of all such businesses that remain open during the rough wintry season, and allow the public some way to access these businesses when they hold events such as these?

[XLFD]

That's not too far from the numbers of the 49431 zip code.  With about an extra 1000 wealthy earners thrown in.

[stump]

   Never been to the ball drop so  I guess I need some input on the original posting. Looking at the pictures the business is not blocked at all. The porta johns are placed on the north east alley drive with space between  a couple if them. Is there fencing behind them?  Is the fencing there to control the beer tent activities?    Where do people park to see the ball drop?   Do they park in the lot and then have to walk around the block because of the fencing to get to the activities?   

[XLFD]

For a special liquor license in Michigan, they must put up a 'containment barrier' to divide the drinking area from the non-drinking area.  I can't say what the situation was like when the Thai Mango owner took his photos, but by the end of the night, this containment barrier blocked off the plaza area so that there was only one entrance in and out that I saw.  That space between the porta-potties is not that big, even if there wasn't barriers behind them.  Thai food connoisseurs probably wouldn't have a lot of fun squeezing themselves, their dates, and their leftovers between two s--thouses.

[AQUAMAN]

How and why does the COL need the porta-potties when taxpayers paid some $35K for the public restrooms right there? Also, how is it that it costs the COL some $18K for this event, when it's been bragged up for many years since inception that Tye's Signs, Nick Tykosi, also donates his time and machinery for free to put this event on? Why would anyone sane person/event put up fences to block off the porta-potty area and make the public walk around the block to have access? Why would Brandy defend all this nonsense other than her Daddy is a DDA member? Seems like a LOT of Stupidity on this entire situation exists, and no reasonable explanations are given, because as we all know, the COL never ever makes any mistakes in their capacity for ruling over locals and such. Pretty SAD and STUPID if you ask me. Lots of room to see more than one person is dropping the ball on this issue for sure!

[XLFD]

In all fairness to the COL event organizing staff, they are required to put up containment barriers according to their special permit filed a bit earlier this year, Michigan's LARA does not consider in the permit whether some businesses may be inconvenienced to the point of being isolated from their customers.  Likewise, there are guidelines for the amount of bathrooms needed for such events and the amount of people they plan on attending.  This is why Gus Macker has rows of porta-potties at their event even though there are two sizable restroom and changing facilities at the beach.

Taken further, this is why a splash pad would not be a good fit for Copeyon Park, since one would expect a swarm of various customers on a very hot and humid day and the existing facilities are greatly lacking to accommodate what's needed for the crowds in both toilet and changing facilities.

[Brad]

Future city budget projections have money for new restroom/fish station building at Copeyon, $300k if I recall.

[shinblind]

Could someone find out what is inadequate with the current restroom/fish cleaning station at Copeyon?  It seems the building is up to its intended task.

And it a new restroom is needed to meet the requirements for the splash pad shouldn't that expense be the responsibility of the splashpad fund?

[XLFD]

Even more than that, in the capital improvement portion of the latest budget they have planned to use $450,000 in 2021 to do that.  That's a rather large figure in my estimation, given that it will supposedly be built on the foundation of the old bathroom and FCS.  It's one of the additional costs you won't see on the ledger of how much the splash pad installation will cost.  Have they ever discussed this, even at one of their OMA-violating committee meetings?  Nope.

[Willy]

$450,000 is absolutely insane. Especially for an ill advised community recreation area that is located in an area totally unsuited for it. The access and egress is way out of wack. Motor vehicles entering and leaving a steep incline such as the one located here is completely  unsafe. What about walking access for handicap individuals and kids walking to the splash park. Totally unnecessary and expensive and another large burden for Ludington's citizens look forward to shouldering.