EDITOR:

To the City of Escanaba and its Downtown Development Authority (DDA):

(and CC to Escanaba residents and visitors):

It happened so fast, I’m wondering if it was a fever dream. Did you really push through a social district (which allows alcohol consumption on public streets) that suddenly?

Were residents given the opportunity to say whether it’s what they wanted? Did you ask for any kind of feedback from the community on the proposed borders?

I read in the Daily Press on Jan. 28 that the DDA was going to make a recommendation to the City Council for this to be allowed. Foolishly, I thought that the city would then consider it, hold a public hearing, maybe poll its residents – but no, after just one presentation from Craig Woerpel of the DDA at their next meeting on Feb. 6, councilmembers voted to create a social district!

Woerpel has good intentions, but one person has one perspective (even if speaking on behalf of the DDA). He shouldn’t have been the only one to present the idea to Council before a vote was made.

Considering the fact that public hearings happen and neighbors are consulted before other, smaller things happen in town – like the rezoning of a single property – I’m astonished that it’s even legal to make this big change without letting the people have a say.

City Manager Jim McNeil said that other communities had been asked, at least. That’s nice, but not asking Escanabans what might or might not work in their city seems to have allowed for some accidental oversights.

Ron Beauchamp and Mark Ammel brought up one concern: with NO social district in place, people were allowed to bring their own beverages to listen to music in the park. Now, the marina is within an events common area, which means that while an event is ongoing and a vendor there is selling alcohol, people are no longer allowed to split a six-pack with their friends on the grounds of the yacht club.

Tyler Dubord brought up another problem: waste. Is the city going to have to put in more trash cans? (Frankly, I’m disgusted that everybody kept referring to the cups as “trash”, when they’re more than likely going to be plastic. What do people have against recycling? Can we put in RECYCLING cans along Ludington?)

Some of these issues are the fault of the State, not the City. It’s the State that is encouraging the wasteful, environmentally-unfriendly behavior by saying that patrons can’t reuse the same cup or take it into other establishments in the district, but buy a new one from every vendor. That’s abhorrently wasteful, and I’m disappointed in our Governor, who claims to want to protect our environment.

I wonder if special events will see lower attendance when people realize they can’t bring their own drinks. Or will the rules be disregarded, since there won’t be enough officials to enforce them?

I guess we’ll see. Legal open intoxicants downtown, here we come.

Jamie Levin

Escanaba