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 On Tuesday, January 12th, several students of the CEO program
were in attendance at the committee of the whole meeting, as the
request was introduced to the council.
Part of the CEO program includes creating a business and running it
successfully. It was explained that the CEO group is using the
weekend event as one such business. The plan is to raise money
through an interactive dinner to be held on Friday, February 12, and
hold the walk/run the following day. (See press release from Jan.
20)
This week the council reviewed the request, which included the use
of downtown streets starting at the corner of Clinton and McLean
Streets. The route would include McLean Street to Lincoln Avenue, to
Chicago Street, to Wyatt Avenue, to Ladue Street, to Clinton Street
and back to the corner of Clinton and McLean.
The aldermen on Tuesday night had no concerns regarding the route or
the streets the run would utilize, but they did take exception to
the request for whitewashing on those streets. At the meeting on the
12th whitewashing had not been mentioned, and this week there was no
representative of the CEO on hand to field questions.
 Michelle Bauer is one of the mentors for the CEO program and said
she had not heard that there would be a request for whitewashing.
She attempted to contact a CEO student via text messaging to ask
what the plan was for whitewashing on the city streets but was
unable.
During the discussion of the topic, it was mentioned that the city
does allow whitewashing on Wyatt Avenue for the Lincoln Community
High School Homecoming weekend. It has also permitted whitewashing
on various streets immediately in front of an LCHS Railer team
members home, during that same weekend. With that exception, the
city does not typically hear requests for whitewashing. Mayor Marty
Neitzel recalled that whitewashing had been an issue once, when the
downtown area had just been resurfaced, and the council did not want
the new finish marred with whitewash. She noted that it has been
several years since that resurfacing, and she supposed that the
street finishes were now well cured; so it could be alright.
Bauer said she had a concern for what was to be painted on the
street. She said she would object to directional arrows on the road,
as they would be confusing for motorists after the race and would
leave downtown business owners with the possible challenge from
shoppers to explain why the arrows were there. On the other hand,
she said if the CEO wanted to paint something like a top hat along
the route, she would find that less objectionable.
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Steve Parrott wondered about future requests for whitewashing. He said that he
was concerned that if the council said yes to the CEO that it would bring more
requests from other groups in the future, and was that something the city wanted
to encourage. Johnson said that even if it did bring more requests, it would
still always be at the council’s discretion to say yes.
Neitzel suggested that perhaps the item could be tabled for clarification.
Johnson said that could be done; there would still be one more voting session
before the race.
Parrott said he’d prefer to strike the whitewashing from the request, and
approve only the use of streets.
There was also a discussion of what constitutes whitewash. Jeff Hoinacki said he
was of the understanding that whitewash was a very thin, watered down latex
paint. Rick Hoefle said that there is a special chalk that is used in running
events, and the city could specify that the CEO use only that chalk.
Superintendent of Streets, Walt Landers looked up whitewash on the internet and
told the council that it was made of lime, chalk, and water. He had also earlier
in the conversation said that the whitewash used by the high school generally
wears off over time.
Finally, the motion was made by Tracy Welch to approve the use of streets but
strike the whitewashing from the request. The motion was seconded by Parrott.
Before the vote was taken, Mourning asked if the CEO could return with a
separate request for the whitewashing. Neitzel said they could come to the next
committee of the whole meeting with a new request.
When the vote was taken, all seven aldermen present voted “yes” on the motion as
amended by Welch. Aldermen present for the vote was Michelle Bauer, Rick Hoefle,
Jeff Hoinacki, Kathy Horn, Todd Mourning, Steve Parrott, and Tracy Welch.
[Nila Smith] |
