As Halloween draws near, city officials are considering several changes to make sure the event runs smoothly.
Perhaps the most prominent change this year will be made to the fee charged to local vendors on East Union Street. Vendors will be charged an extra $150 in addition to their annual fees, while the visiting vendors will pay $500 for Saturday night. Last year, vendors paid 10 percent of the night's sales, and visiting vendors paid an additional $300, according to a July 7 Post article.
The visiting vendors will be positioned along Court Street, but locations for their vehicles have not been finalized, said Athens Mayor Ric Abel. Those positions are determined by the city.
Also among the proposed changes is the idea of adding a third band stage at a parking lot on Court Street, said Jonathan Holmberg, chairman of the Halloween Clean and Safe Committee.
It will take a lot more planning so I'm not sure if that will be done
Holmberg said.
Holmberg also said the city is considering allowing bands to play longer into the night to keep more people on Court Street and out of neighborhoods.
In the wee small hours the neighborhood got pretty bad last year said councilwoman Carol Patterson, D-2nd Ward.
Street cleanup will begin at 3 a.m. Sunday instead of 4 a.m., said Ron Lucas of the Athens Street Department.
The clean-up process takes about six hours. City officials want to begin earlier so the crews will be done when people are going to church and other events Sunday morning, Lucas said.
The city has been discussing the event since this summer, and plans are nearing completion.
Everyone is pretty much on the same page at this point
said Holmberg. I would look at this year being status quo.
Councilwoman Nancy Bain, D-3rd Ward, also said most legislative plans are done.
The only thing left to do is to just get out of the way for the students and the town people
and let everyone have their fun
she said.
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Meghan Nicholson
