City Council stands behind street closure decision

Despite two special meetings called to consider rescinding a street closing decision, the Greencastle City Council stood behind its original June 11 determination Tuesday evening.

The issue at hand was the closing of Fifth Street between Avenues D and E from 10 a.m. to midnight on July 4 for a neighborhood block party as proposed by Larry Dickerson and Harold Barger.

Since that request was granted for a party that will include a bounce house, hotdogs and fireworks, Putnam County Comprehensive Service Executive Director Andrew Ranck has asked that the Council rescind its decision.

Ranck pointed to the continuing COVID virus situation that has precluded close-knit gatherings as well as the presence of a three-person group home within the area designated for the block party.

Ranck also disputed the petitioners’ statement that they had contacted the neighbors and they were “all good with it.”

“We, as neighbors, were not asked,” Ranck said. “We would have said no, COVID is too hot, too high right now.”

The PCCS director added that two of the individuals in the group home “would not survive COVID if they got it.” Another person who lives there has a disorder similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and would likely have an adverse reaction to the fireworks Dickerson and Barger plan, Ranck said.

The petitioners also noted that they are having a bounce house, and with about 100 people expected for the event, they wanted the street closed for the safety of the children. People often ignore the stop sign at the Fifth Street intersections, they noted.

Ranck reminded the Council that it made its June 11 decision based on misleading information after Barger said that all interested parties had been notified. Had he been informed, Ranck said he would have been at the initial meeting to speak against it.

However, as the newest member of the Council, Jacob Widner, noted, city street-closure protocol does not include requiring the permission of all the neighbors.

Saying he was just asking for them to be good neighbors, Ranck suggested they move the party or move it to a later date, noting that the Fourth of July activities at Robe-Ann Park have all been canceled.

He called it a “public health issue, not a neighborhood dispute.”

Councilman Dave Murray noted that since the neighborhood fireworks will proceed regardless of a street closing, he was in favor of keeping the street barricaded to ensure against injury, acknowledging that it is “not an ideal spot to have fireworks and kids in the street.”

After some 40 minutes of dialogue, Councilman Widner made the motion to close the discussion, effectively putting an end to any chance to rescind the June 11 and letting the street closure stand.

The vote was 6-0 (Widner, Murray, Adam Cohen, Cody Eckert, Veronica Pejril and Mark Hammer) with Stacie Langdon, an employee of PCCS, abstaining.

As the meeting concluded, a masked Ranck urged Mayor Bill Dory to issue a mask order for the city of Greencastle, akin to what Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett ordered for the capital city Wednesday.

“We’re in trouble,” Ranck said, noting the rise of COVID across the Southern tier of states and areas on all sides of Indiana.

Dory reminded him that anything he might order would only affect the city.

Dory added that the community committee on which he serves relative to the virus has had a consistent message that seems to be working – social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands.