Board approves temporary closure of Washington Street walkway for whiskey walk fundraiser

The Kearney Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Monday to close the Washington Street walkway on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. for a whiskey-walking tour and related outdoor activities, including cigar smoking, grilling and alcohol service.

Organizers said the event, run by the Kearny Richmond Council, expects about 50 to 75 participants and will include a tasting lecture and an after-party that will spill into the Blue Heron breezeway. “One of the good things we did last year is the whiskey walk. It was a great hit,” said Lawrence Gratian, identified in the meeting as executive director for the Kearny Richmond Council. He told the board the organizers have drafted an agreement with the city and a police agreement and expect to meet listed expectations.

Board members raised safety concerns about a partly open area of the walkway near the building where bricks had been removed. A board member noted the “open hole in the walkway” and asked that it be fixed before the event; Gratian and city staff said they would address the condition and clean the area afterward. Sheila Ernsen, city administrator, told the board staff had discussed options — including not replacing bricks where that would worsen water intrusion — and would seek a practical solution that did not increase water into adjacent doorways.

The board approved the motion “as printed” on the agenda. The roll call later in the meeting showed Aldermen Holt, Spencer and King voting aye; the motion passed 3–0. The approval includes organizers’ commitments to a cleanup plan and a police agreement that staff said had been drafted but not yet finalized.

The approval was procedural (a permit/closure for a special event) rather than an ordinance change; the board did not amend city code during the discussion. The transcript records that staff and organizers will finalize logistics and that the organizers pledged to leave the breezeway in at least as good a condition as they found it.

The board heard no additional public testimony on the closure during the open session. The motion to enter executive session followed later in the meeting and did not alter this approval.