The Madison Street Use Staff Team voted unanimously Wednesday to grant a street use permit to Saturday's 40th annual Mifflin Street Block Party, making the event officially sponsored for the first time since 1995.
Although the city's risk manager must review the event's insurance certificate to be completely official, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, believes that will be a non-issue.
""I think it's a done deal,"" Verveer said.
This comes as a relief to Verveer, as the partnership between WSUM 91.7 and DCNY PRO LLC., a local production company, ends months of trying to find a sponsor to the block party.
""We've had a lot of false starts, starting with [the Wisconsin Union Directorate],"" Verveer said. ""WUD was told they couldn't participate by Bascom Hall administrators, and I was just very relieved that WSUM came to the rescue.""
The permit allows for organizers to set up a stage at the intersection of Bassett and Mifflin Street, as well as block off the 400 and 500 block of West Mifflin Street and the 10 and 100 block of North Bassett Street. Police will also block off the 10 and 100 blocks of both Bedford and Broom Street.
Although the event is now sponsored, the usual police policies, such as open container laws, will be in place. The police's crackdown on the event has previously drawn the ire of Verveer, but he said that because the party is no longer an ""illegal party,"" police will be more lenient.
""We now have a sponsor, we have a permit in hand, we have some semblance of organization to this event,"" Verveer said.
The stage will be ""about as simple as you can get for a street performance,"" according to Matt Rockwell, chief engineer for WSUM, with DJs from the radio station playing with a potential headliner.
Dave Black, general manager of WSUM, said safety at the stage will be of little issue due to the behavior of partygoers around DJs.
""When you have DJs, people tend to not clump and push toward the stage,"" Black said. ""People tend to congregate in groups that are discreet and separate.""
The annual block party meeting for residents will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Madison senior center, where Verveer, representatives from the fire and police departments and party organizers will speak.
