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4-25-08 Bill Fike FORUM
04/25/2008 16:43:44
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4-25-08
This is Bill Fike with WJBC’c Forum
When I agreed to do these forums, I promised myself that I would expand my subject matters, and not devote many forums to the good or bad of Downtown Bloomington. However, since I have been a resident of Downtown for 35 years, I find myself continually gravitating to the subject matter of Downtown while doing my research for these forums. And what is the most important topic of Downtown Bloomington; it is Parking. So here goes, another forum about parking.
On Saturday May seventeenth the Farmers Market will begin again, taking up much needed parking on both the 200 block of North Main and on the 100 block of West Jefferson Street. In addition, the Farmer’s Market disrupts the traffic flow on these Saturday mornings, by the closing of those two city blocks to vehicular traffic. Plus, we have vendors and their employees, parking their own personal vehicles in all the remaining spaces around the square, taking up even more valuable parking.
No, I am not for the elimination of the Farmer’s Market. I think it is an excellent promotion for Downtown Bloomington. But, would it not make more sense to have the Farmer’s Market in the Market Street Parking Garage, (at the Monroe Street level). It is practically empty on Saturdays, especially since we have so many store owners, their employees, and downtown residents parking on the street that day, without fear of getting a ticket.
Also, by having the Farmer’s Market in the garage, the vendors and the shoppers would have protection from the hot sun during the Summer months and protection on those rainy day Saturdays.
I understand another parking committee has been formed and they are currently researching how to make parking downtown even more consumer friendly. I hope this committee realizes that not disrupting traffic flows is as important as providing abundant free parking for Downtown Bloomington’s customers and clients.
This is Bill Fike with WJBC’s Forum
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