Committee changes Light Parade parking
The Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee has recently made some changes to ensure a pedestrian-friendly Holiday Light Parade and better promote the spirit of a street festival for the upcoming parade on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015.
The annual light parade begins at UMPI at 6 p.m. that evening, and will travel north on Main Street to North Street Healthcare. To help ensure safety and leave more room for spectators, this year there will be no roadside parking along Main Street from Academy to State streets throughout the day on Dec. 5.
Committee members said for several years now, merchants along this section of Main Street have noted that all of the parking spots in front of their shops have been filled by empty cars as early as the night before, holding places from which to watch the parade.
Increasing safety concerns for children were the impetus behind the change. Many small children, unable to see past the bumper-to-bumper lineup of cars, were forced to stand in the street, which became a safety issue.
At the revitalization committee’s Nov. 10 meeting, discussions were held with the Presque Isle Police Department to determine the best way to handle the issue. It was determined that closing this section of Main Street to parking for the entire day reduces the opportunity of citizens having their vehicles towed.
With the parking spots typically filled by parade watchers from early morning, the merchants do not expect any difference in the number of shoppers. The merchants will, however, be able to more easily use the sidewalks in front of their businesses for sales merchandise as well as handing out holiday cookies and hot cocoa, making for a more festive experience. This also means more children and their families will be able to watch the parade from the safety of the sidewalk.
With this area of Main Street more pedestrian-friendly for the parade, more people will be able to gather in that section and will be better able to hear the parade announcers from their perch atop a flatbed near Gary’s Appliance and the Northeastland Hotel.
Police Chief Matt Irwin stated that barricades will be placed in the parking spaces along the section of Main Street from Academy to State, and officers will be patrolling the area and enforcing the temporary no-parking zone until the parade concludes.
Through traffic will still be able to travel north and south along Main Street during the course of the day prior to the start of the parade.
