Finance Committee - 08/19/2020 Page 15
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you, Mr. Mayor. My question is to Director Cummings, and | do have a couple of them. Is this going to
come in the future to the Infrastructure Committee?
Director Cummings
If | may Mr. Mayor.
Mayor Donchess
Yes.
Director Cummings
| mean that’s a question ultimately for the President but | would have to believe that that Legislation that would
request the narrowing of Main Street to continue would need to be referred to Committee and PEDC and
Infrastructure would be the two like Committees that | think would want to hear this, but absolutely
Infrastructure | think would need to weigh in on it. And I’d be happy to come to you at whatever meeting you’d
like before any Legislation is filed as well so we can start that conversation.
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you, Director Cummings, If | may follow up, because as you know, working together with you,
Infrastructure has a pending parking study that is pending out there. And the longer that this type of outside
dining stays is going to skew the numbers with the parking study. But! think that is something that maybe at
the termination of the outdoor dining, maybe with the Infrastructure Committee, maybe we could jump into that
and get into it at that particular time. But the thing is | have several other Infrastructure concerns. There is a
loss of revenue in parking with this. It is the additional cost of these barriers, we did meet the safety need and
that’s why we went with the original although concrete ones, they don’t look as nice | understand that. But the
thing is they do meet the safety needs and that’s the one that is most priority.
So therefore because of the revenue that’s involved and | would like to have and I'll speak to the Board
President on this to have Infrastructure a little bit more involved. Maybe perhaps in the future, looking to a joint
partnership between the Public and the Private and supplementing some of these barriers because with the
loss of revenue of parking and then there seems to be the only sole profit would be the different proprietors of
the restaurants, maybe there’s something that could be jointly shared. It is something possibly that could be
explored at the very least. But! am going to support this because this, as you say, is a pilot program, this is
going to give us the opportunity as we move into the future if this is what we decide what we want to do, we are
going to have enough time and good weather to look at the two in comparison and to help beautify the City if
this is what we are going to do in the future. But I'll have further discussion with the Board President with this
like | say and perhaps conversation with you. I’m sure you didn’t forget about the parking study out there and |
know you didn’t so we will have that discussion later on. Thank you, Mr. Cummings.
Director Cummings
Thank you, sir.
Mayor Donchess
Alderwoman Kelly.
