City council votes down the use of Water Street during Trout Run Trail celebration

A request to block off Water Street between River Street and Mechanic Street has failed to win the approval of the Decorah City Council.  A group of volunteers had hoped to hold a block party on the street during the weekend of the Trout Run Trail dedication.  But the weekend is also Family Weekend at Luther College.  City council member Paul Wanless worried that the street closing would cause problems for many Luther parents who were making their first visit to Decorah and wouldn't be able to navigate around downtown.  City council member Gary Rustad suggested it would be better to hold the celebration in the Folkedahl parking lot behind the buildings.

A motion to approve the street closing failed to win a majority, with Wanless, Rustad and Randy Schissel opposing the motion, Rachel Vagts, Julie Fischer and John Franzen supporting it and Carolyn Corbin absent.  Afterwards, Vagts said she was "really disappointed" with the decision, which she termed "short sighted."