Residents ask city to close street for trick-or-treaters

MARENGO — The Marengo City Council denied a request to close a few city blocks during trick-or-treating, 6-8 p.m. Oct. 30, opting instead to limit parking to one side of the streets during the event.

Rosie Disterhoft and Barb McMeen asked the City Council Wednesday to close Howard Avenue north of West Lucas Street and Garfield Street from Howard Avenue east to Western Avenue during trick-or-treating hours. They said they are concerned for the safety of children as they walk through the increased traffic.

“Halloween night is crazy on our side of town, said Disterhoft. She has 250-300 trick-or-treaters every year, she said, and they walk among the cars that are starting and stopping along the streets, dropping off and picking up children.

“We’re lucky we haven’t got somebody killed,” Disterhoft said. “I have 20-25 kids come to my door at a time.”

The chaos of traffic and pedestrians worries her, Disterhoft said. Keeping cars out of the neighborhood while children go door to door would keep them safe.

“I like the idea,” said City Councilman Travis Schlabach, but he was concerned that other neighborhoods would want streets closed as well. “Next year, am I going to have five more of these?”

And where will all the cars go when they aren’t allowed on those streets? Schlabach asked.

“It’s not that busy anywhere else,” said Councilwoman Karen Wayson-Kisling.

Schlabach was also concerned that the city wouldn’t have time to get information about the road closure to residents with just a week before official trick-or-treat night in Marengo. The City moved trick-or-treating to Thursday, Oct. 30 this year because Iowa Valley has a football game Friday, Oct. 31.

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Schlabach said he talked with Marengo Police Chief Ben Gray about alternatives that might address safety concerns without closing the streets. Gray could put up temporary no parking signs without much trouble, he said.

Schlabach said he was afraid Lucas Street “will be a mad house” if drivers can’t get on Howard Avenue. The city may need to address the problem, he said, but it needs to start earlier next year.

Gray questioned Disterhoft about the specific problem the residents want addressed.

Disterhoft said parents park in driveways and on the street — and in the roadway — dropping of their kids and picking them up.

Gray said residents can block their own driveways. “That eliminates that problem,” he said.

“If the issue is congestion on the road, no parking on one side will alleviate that,” Gray said.

The police chief said he has never received any complaints on Halloween about congestion or safety issues there. He thinks if the city blocks this section of town during trick-or-treating, other neighborhoods will want the same courtesy.

“I just feel we’re too late to make a major change to that,” said Schlabach. “I think you have a valid concern,” he told Disterhoft, but he doesn’t have a valid solution, he said.

“We can’t educate [the public] in two weeks,” Schlabach said.

“Some of this is us educating parents,” said Gray. He also suggested that parents get out and walk door to door with their children rather than driving from house to house or block to block.

From a health and fitness perspective, it would be good for parents to walk their children from house to house, said Councilman John Hinshaw. He agreed that Halloween night gets chaotic.

“It’s the wild west,” Hinshaw said, but blocking the streets will create problems on other streets. “The traffic’s not going to go away,” he said. “It has to go somewhere.”

Councilman Bill Kreis asked if the city could make the street one way during trick-or-treat hours, but Gray said that wouldn’t be as simple as putting up temporary no parking signs, which the city does for special events.

And Gray doesn’t have enough officers on duty to watch the street to enforce a one-way route, he said.

If the issue is making children more visible, no parking on one side of the street will help, said Gray. As for traffic flow, neighborhoods might want to issue maps showing families what route drivers should take through the neighborhood.

This isn’t just a Marengo issue, said Gray. “This is trick-or-treating in every city.”

“I would love to, this year, have the no parking on one side,” said Schlabach. “See if that helps.” The city should consider the problem earlier next year if it wants to make any changes, he said.

Schlabach, Kreis and Wayson-Kisling voted in favor of putting up no parking notices on the east side of Howard Avenue north of West Lucas Street and the north side of Garfield Street from Howard Avenue east to Western Avenue from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 30.

Hinshaw voted no. Councilwoman Jennifer Olson was absent.