Park rapids council decides where food trucks can park during 2nd street stage

Food trucks may queue up on the second block of 3rd Street West during this summer’s 2nd Street Stage concerts, the Park Rapids City Council decided on Tuesday, May 27. Kelly Trumpold with 3

Bears Food Truck had suggested incorporating a food truck festival into the Thursday night events at the council’s April 22 meeting. ADVERTISEMENT City Administrator Angel Weasner told the

council she had discussed Trumpold’s request to place the food trucks close to the stage with the Park Rapids Downtown Business Association (DBA) and those business owners directly affected

by the second block of Main Avenue being closed for 2nd Street Stage events. “After having the discussions, there are three options,” Weasner said. First, a “yes,” to allow the food trucks

where Trumpold requested; second, a “no,” not to allow food trucks; and a third, hybrid option where the food trucks would be moved farther to the south. “They would not be on Main Avenue

because we do want to maintain the parking for the businesses,” said Weasner. She said the staff recommendation was to allow the food trucks on the first block of 3rd or 4th Street west of

Main Avenue. She said having the trucks on 2nd Street would put loud generators too close to the stage, also noting that Revel Brewing programs activities for those nights. “We feel it’s in

the best interest of everybody to be further south.” BENEFITS OF BRINGING MORE FOOD Mayor Pat Mikesh voiced reservations because downtown businesses thrive on those days. “If you go anywhere

that night,” he said, “everybody’s packed, which is good for the businesses who pay the big taxes to be there,” whereas food trucks pay a small fee and take customers from those businesses.

ADVERTISEMENT “Third or fourth street wouldn’t be so bad,” said Mikesh. Weasner said a restaurant owner in the concert area told her their menu doesn’t work well for takeout. She said

another owner is pivoting toward making it more convenient for customers to order food on the street or duck inside for a grab-and-go meal, “but some of the businesses are packed on that

night.” Council member Joe Christenson said 1,500 to 2,000 people show up for 2nd Street Stage events, while one restaurant’s oven can make six pizzas an hour. “They’re not going to feed

2,000 people,” he said. Christensen added that in his experience as a musician, other street festivals have more food available than 2nd Street Stage does. “You can’t get in the restaurants,

because they’re already packed,” he said. Council member Jeremy Engholm said food trucks will bring in people who don’t want to sit down in a restaurant. However, he advised barricading a

whole block for safety reasons. Council member Tim Little agreed that many attendees want something they can eat while they walk. “There’s more than enough people to go around for

everybody,” he said. COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY Ted Chizek, who owns The Joint food truck, and City Clerk Berit Score discussed a counterintuitive fee structure, charging food truck owners

a $25 permit fee to park at the curb or $10 to barricade the whole block. ADVERTISEMENT It was also noted that food truck owners will need to provide their own barricades, as the DBA is only

responsible for blocking off the street dance area. Butch De La Hunt with De La Hunt Media said he is not opposed to food trucks, but he urged the council to consider access issues, to

ensure people and emergency personnel can freely move in and out of the event area. “When everyone talks about the third and fourth block, I always say, go to a Vikings game, go to a Twins

game, go to a University of North Dakota hockey game,” said De La Hunt. “When you get a mass gathering of people in a given space, you have to section and have buffer areas and safe areas

for the public to move to the event.” De La Hunt urged the council to move the food trucks further down the street. Derek Ricke, president of the Park Rapids Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce,

said Chamber events with food trucks have worked out well, but he urged the council to consider the issue from a broader, ordinance-level perspective. “I think there’s an opportunity for a

lot of growth for food trucks in our community as we grow our events,” he said. Council members discussed whether a whole block should be closed or just from Main Avenue to the alley. A

consensus arose that about four food trucks should fit into half a block. ADVERTISEMENT Mikesh made a motion to allow food trucks to close the second block of 3rd Street and possibly 4th

Street west of Main Avenue. The motion passed 4-0, absent council member Liz Stone.