Duluth officials have been working since earlier this year to evaluate the city’s 5K race events to create a policy to mitigate road congestion and interruption of service due to road closings.
As part of this process, the city’s park and police staff have reviewed alternative routes to the Irvindale loop. For safety, security and staffing reasons, the downtown option was deemed the best location. Park staff also checked with other cities and noted that 90 percent of these types of events are coordinated through the marketing/events department rather than parks and recreation.
Among the council members suggestions were including cleanup fees, better road closure notification, and staffing concerns.
Traditionally Duluth hosts four to five races per year combined with secondary street closure for some events. City officials plan to further study the issue before any decisions are made.
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