A scheduling mistake could strain Evanston’s emergency services on the weekend of Northwestern’s commencement — though officials say the problem will just require better planning.
Two art festivals have been slated for the weekend of June 21. The events are expected to attract more than 100,000 people to the city.
Commencement usually shares the weekend with one of the arts festivals. But because of what Ald. Gene Feldman (9th) called a mistake in planning, commencement will split the weekend with both the Custer’s Last Stand Festival of the Arts and the Fountain Square Art Festival.
Some Evanston residents are concerned about a lack of parking and access for emergency service workers and vehicles. The Fountain Square festival will be held in downtown Evanston. Custer’s Last Stand is set up on Custer Avenue near Main Street.
“One of the things that I would be concerned about is the blocking of the streets,” Evanston resident Candace Hill said. “Frankly, where is anybody going to park?”
Chief Alan Berkowsky of the Evanston fire department said off-duty medical personnel will be at the events’ first-aid stations to provide assistance if emergency vehicles are blocked.
“If there’s a problem getting in at first, there will be medics on the scene,” Berkowsky said. The fire department will also work to keep fire lanes open at both fairs, he said.
The problem apparently sprang from a misunderstanding and lack of communication between the festivals.
“We have always used the process of using the third weekend of the month,” said John Szostek, executive director of Custer Street Fair Inc., which celebrated its 30th festival last summer.
The Fountain Square Art Festival is planned by the Evanston Chamber of Commerce.
“It was an unfortunate mistake on the part of the chamber, and they admitted that mistake,” Feldman said.
Dick Peach, the chamber’s president-elect, said the organization is “working hard to be sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“It puts a stress on city services,” Peach said. “But it’s not something that’s insurmountable.”
The city manager’s office is working with both festivals to oversee the allocation of resources like off-duty police and fire personnel, and health inspectors for the events’ food.
“We’re still working the details,” City Manager Roger Crum said.
In order to prevent this scheduling mishap from happening again, the city and the festivals have agreed to plan the events further in advance.
“We’ll give (the city) the next 10 years’ dates,” Szostek said.
NU’s commencement plans are not a major part of the problem, according to Peach. The event is comparatively small and visitors in town for commencement are potential customers for the festivals.
