KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Monday night, Kalamazoo city commissioners took another look at a proposed piece of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act intended to redesign the Arcadia Creek Festival Site.
It comes after pushback forced them to separate it from the original budget.
While presenting to city commissioners, assistant city manager, Rebekah Kik, addressed prior concerns from some residents who believed the site’s $1.6 million redesign would install fencing with locking gates to keep out the unhoused using it for shelter.
Kalamazoo holds off on Arcadia redesign over homelessness concerns
“That never has been a plan, so I’m sorry that there was misinformation about that,” Kik said.
Instead, Kik explained that the fencing is temporary, storable and city-owned, all as a cost incentive for event planners wanting to use the Arcadia Creek Festival Site.
“It would just be part of the ongoing cost as opposed to that event producer having to pay for the rental of the festival site, the cleaning of the festival site, and the fencing, and blocking off the street — that’s also very expensive,” she said. “So, all the costs add up.”