We just caught this little teaser story over on the Chippewa Herald’s website. Basically, the proposal to close down a chunk of Bridge Street in Chippewa Falls on Thursday afternoons/evenings – so their farmers market can be in the street during weekly concerts – got shot down by the City Council last night. From the story …

• Several people spoke against the plan, voicing concerns about traffic and whether people would want to come to downtown if a part of Bridge Street was closed.
• Voting to deny a street permit for the proposal were council members Susan Zukowski, Brian Flynn and Mike Dahlby. Voting in favor of the plan was C.W. King, and council member Don Baker abstained because he operates a downtown business.

The teaser doesn’t say if anyone showed up to speak in favor of the plan. This really sucks for downtown Chippewa Falls. Not sure if the original proposal was perfect, but the idea is terrific and it works great in other cities. Closing a stretch of street for something like a farmers market (especially during a concert) creates and "event" atmosphere that draws people in and gives a town something to be proud of. Opposition to this is baffling at best and damaging at worst.

UPDATE: The full article is now available right here. Interesting bit:

• The proposal failed on a 3-1-1 vote, with council members Susan Zukowski and Mike Dahlby joining Flynn in shooting down the Bridge Street plan. C.W. King voted for it, while Don Baker abstained because he operates a business downtown.
• Two council members, Dennis Doughty and Jason Anderson, did not attend the meeting.

So, there could have been a tie if everyone had showed up. Some great comments from the Chippewa Falls citizenry over on the Herald – I hope the CF City Council is reading them. Let them know what you think.