The council’s action basically paves the way for Bruce Bailey, owner of the Red Planet Skate Park on West First Street, to have live bands Thursday evenings.
The idea behind the resolution is to give teen-agers something to do Thursdays instead of hanging out at the weekly farmers’ market downtown – where some of them have been causing problems, according to Sue Sweet (R-Third Ward).
Whether it works remains to be seen.
“A few years ago, similar events were planned, and even though they were heavily promoted only about a dozen kids showed up,” Gail Goebricher, the market manager for the chamber, said recently. “Let’s hope they have better success this time.”
Connie Cosemento (D-First Ward) cast the lone nay vote.
The First Warders, she said, didn’t want any more noise, she explained.
She said she surveyed the residents of St. Luke (senior) apartments on West First Street, and 107 out of 110 residents responded.
The responses were split pretty much 50 – 50, she noted.
“This past week, I’ve got five phone calls. These people are all not in favor of extending more outside music because it sets precedence,†she said.
The First Warders hear Harborfest’s music, and they hear the (Oswego Speedway) races and concert music from the Econo Lodge (on East First Street) and, “They receive all of the hooting and hollering every weekend when the university is in session, and that goes from around 11:30 to 2:30 or 3 in the morning,†Cosemento continued.
There is another establishment in the area of Lake Street that has outdoor speakers, she added.
“I understand what (Bailey) is trying to do. He may very well pull this off,” she said. “However, I don’t represent my thoughts. I represent the thoughts of my constituents. Therefore, I am not going to support this resolution. I applaud what the venue is, but I’m not going to support it.â€ÂÂ
“This actually was put together in an effort to address the situation at the farmers’ market,” Sweet explained. “I have taken a lot of phone calls from constituents in regards to they don’t want to go down to the farmers’ market because there are so many kids hanging out there.”
“We could have taken some different avenues. But, I thought before we do that, let’s get going and be proactive,” she continued. “The kids are just looking for something to do.”
Addressing Cosemento’s concerns, Sweet pointed out that the resolution does give city police the power to shut down the event if there are complaints.
“Hopefully, that won’t happen,” she said, adding it is slated to run the same hours (5-9 p.m.) as the market.
“This isn’t meant to cause harm to anyone. It’s meant to be a positive, proactive approach to the situation,” she said.
The waiver will be good from Aug. 21 through Oct. 9.
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I want to extend my thanks to the City of Oswego and to Red Planet for giving the kids a positive and safe place to just be kids. Remember, we were all young once…my generation had Rags to Riches and the Pool Hall to go to. It’s good to see a positive place for my son’s generation to go.