Parks ordinance could do a lot of good

Measure would require City Council approval for large, multi-day events that take over city parks.

Ald. Brendan Reilly introduced an ordinance on Wednesday that would require City Council approval of large events in public parks. Think Lollapalooza, Riot Fest, and the new NASCAR race planned for downtown. Until now, these events were staged via the Park District with Mayoral approval. Or vice versa, depending on who you ask.

This is refreshing to anyone who’s experienced the mercurial process by which these events take over entire city parks, sometimes even entire communities (see Riot Fest in Douglass Park). The event promoters always promise to restore these public grounds, but most any park goer would tell you that these efforts fall woefully short and don’t make up for the inconvenience and disruption to their community.

The proposed ordinance would require City Council approval to close a stretch of four blocks of more on an arterial street. Any closure for more than 24 hours would require approval, as would a permit for events with more than 10,000 attendees.