Concerned about unmanageable crowds and the costs to taxpayers of extra police protection, the Peoria Heights Village Board was of a consensus to take a wait-and-see approach to the first weekend of partially reopening restaurants and bars before committing to special accommodations for them.
Last week, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said that with COVID-19 cases now on a downward trend in Illinois, he would be permitting outdoor dining/drinking at local restaurants and bars, which still must adhere to social distancing and face mask guidelines for employees.
In doing so, the governor also urged municipalities to be creative and flexible in helping businesses begin to recoup their losses of the last two and a half months, perhaps by closing streets or parking lots to traffic in order to provide more space to serve customers.
Peoria Heights is hardly alone in grappling with that issue, though its popular Restaurant Row, with a significant concentration of eateries in a four-block area of Prospect Road that also serves as a major artery through town, may make it a more pressing issue than in many other communities.
Trustees Sherryl Carter and Brandon Wisenburg both said they’d heard from many local business owners about making more use of the sidewalks, streets and parking lots near their establishments. Carter said she is open to accommodating them on Fridays and Saturdays over a three- or four-week period, with the Village taking a kind of St. Patrick’s Day approach. Wisenburg said he liked the idea of a food court concept.
But there were concerns, too.
“I’m all for helping our small businesses,” said Trustee Elizabeth Khazzam, but “I don’t want to create too much of a destination” akin to what recently occurred at resort areas such as the Ozarks and parts of Wisconsin, where big crowds overwhelmed local authorities, with no regard for social distancing.
“I’m just a little concerned how far we’re going to go,” concurred Trustee Jeff Goett.
Mayor Michael Phelan said he wanted to avoid another Taste of the Heights situation, where far-larger-than-expected crowds overwhelmed the vendors. “I don’t want people dining in the street if they can’t do it in a safe manner,” he said.
Carter acknowledged that pent-up demand could mean that “this weekend is going to be a madhouse everywhere.” She also noted that “the restaurants are going to have to take some ownership here, too. They can only have so many people.”
Ultimately, the Board seemed to defer to the judgment of Village Administrator Dustin Sutton.
“Maybe the first weekend, we don’t do anything” beyond this week’s installation of the popular street seats, he said. “Take a wait-and-see approach … If it does get out of hand, I can report back to you.”
In the meantime, closing Prospect and rerouting traffic on certain days remains an option, or putting Prospect on a “road diet” – one lane open in each direction, similar to the Art Fair – or making better use of low-traffic lots and sidewalks, with the cooperation of the businesses near them.
“We can craft this however the board wants,” said Sutton. “Public safety is the number one thing.” Beyond that will be the costs of putting up sufficient barricades – the early estimates were prohibitive – and adding police manpower on those evenings.
The Village Board will deal with the issue at its next meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2.
In other business, Mayor Phelan announced that Village Hall would be reopened to the public on Monday, June 1.
The decision comes in the wake of Fire Chief Greg Walters’ report that his department has received 22 COVID-related calls since mid-March, one of which turned out to be positive. No firefighters were exposed. Community members stepped up with donations of personal protection equipment, or PPEs such as face masks and shields.
“The overall impact has been marginal,” he said. “However, we remain ready and prepared in case there is a surge.”
On another public safety matter, Carter said she’d seen children playing in floodwaters in low-lying areas near the Illinois River. “Do not play in the water,” she warned. “That’s not safe water.”
Finally, Sutton reported that 79 checks have been cut as part of the Village’s business mortgage/rent subsidy program, with three more pending.