R2024-255 Resolution Supporting Temporary Closure of Lost Bridge Road, a Macon County Roadway for 217 Wiffle Ball Classic

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217 WB Classic, Inc. 2910 lewallen Decatur,IL 62521 217-413-1036 Jon Kindseth City of Decatur One Gary K.Anderson Plaza Decatur, IL 62523 May 31, 2024 Dear Mr. Kindseth and City Council, As many of you may already know,the 217 WB Classic, Inc is a non-profit organization that was created to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's and other forms of Dementia. Many of our family and friends have suffered from these terrible diseases in some form.As we've grown,so has our mission.Along with our annual donations and sponsorships to the Alzheimer's Association and their walks,we have also started donating money to several local families who have suffered from other forms of tragedy. For example, Shoni Anderson,a local Mt.Zion girl who was diagnosed with leukemia at 5 years old.As an organization,we made several contributions to the family and hosted a benefit tournament at our Sliderz fields in her behalf.Our main event that we host to bring awareness and raise money is our annual 217 ALZ Backyard Wiffle Ball Classic.We are going into our 9="year this August and can't wait to raise more money for local families and the Alzheimer's Association. In our 8 years we have donated roughly$350,000 to the Alzheimer's Association and local families. On behalf of the 217 WB Classic, Inc, I would like to, again, formally request a conditional road closure for our event August 6th—August 11th. Our event takes place from bpm—10pm on Tuesday the 6th and Wednesday the 7th and from 9am—10pm Thursday the 8th through Sunday the 11th under the conditions that we would have manning at the barricades for the entirety of the closures with a volunteer schedule that will be fully aware of their responsibilities. We would request that the route from the intersections of Lost Bridge Rd and Fitzgerald Rd and Lost Bridge Rd and Baltimore Ave be closed off to thru traffic during our hours of operation.We feel that in the past we have taken all measures to ensure the safety of our patrons,which include a manned crosswalk, Event Ahead signage, and even the digital speed sensor from the DPD. Even with the precautionary measures we've attempted,we feel the safety of the patrons could be enhanced with this closure request. Last year's support was greatly appreciated by us,as well as our patrons.The safety of our foot traffic has never been as well maintained as it was with the road closure.This year we have added the requirement for each team that participates in the event to volunteer at least 8 hours of support(4 team members @ 2hr shifts each),which has our gate coverage already lined out for this year. On the attached map you will find a proposed detour.Traffic would take Baltimore to Fitzgerald from the East and vice versa from the West,with the exception of local traffic and emergency vehicles.