Title
Resolution to Approve Street Closings for a Celebration Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020
Memorandum
Attached for your consideration is a resolution to close the following streets for a celebration to commemorate the 50th Anniversary Earth Day on April 22, 2020 from 7:00 AM to Midnight:
* Washington Street between Main Street and S. Division Street (except for traffic entering or exiting the Washington Street Parking Structure)
* Soft closure (aka, just barricades with through traffic still possible) at 5th Avenue and Washington Street and 4th Avenue and Washington Street
The event itself will take place from 4:00 PM until 9:00 PM with the additional time to be used for set-up and breakdown. The City of Ann Arbor, in partnership with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, are sponsoring this event and will work in partnership with the Downtown Development Authority and Republic Parking to ensure that access to the Washington Street parking structure is maintained and that parking meters are bagged.
This event will be held to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and to educate and promote the A2Zero carbon neutrality efforts of the community. Specifically, staff and community partners are proposing the aforementioned street closures so that the streets can be decorated with hundreds of trees, all staged at different heights and decorated with lights. The purpose of the demonstration is multi-faceted: 1) it shows residents the magnitude of trees planted by the City each year; 2) it will provide a literal opportunity for residents to purchase saplings that they can plant on their own property (trees will be delivered post event); 3) it will provide a contemplative space for individuals to reflect on the last 50 years of the environmental movement and what needs to happen in the coming years; 4) it will be a space to celebrate the merging of our natural and physical infrastructure; and 5) it will provide space for the com...
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