Town approves powwow weekend; attorney says temporary street inconvenience likely lawful

The Palmyra board approved the use of a weekend in September for a powwow and discussed logistics for vendor access through a back gate that intersects a street involved in pending litigation.

President Deborah Atkins said the town had asked for that weekend to be reserved for the event and sought clarification about blocking a street and vendor access. The town attorney advised the board that under Indiana law a short-term, temporary inconvenience from an event is typically not compensable if adjoining property owners retain reasonable access. "As long as it is a temporary inconvenience, it's going to be fine," the attorney said, adding that courts look to whether private property owners retain access and whether the closure isolates properties from emergency services.

The board discussed that the road’s easement is roughly 40 feet wide, which would likely allow vendors to enter and exit if private property is respected. The presenter noted that the town could not agree to block the street outright given pending litigation but that using the back gate for vendor ingress and egress should be feasible if vendors do not impair private access. The board moved to proceed with the powwow weekend on the town’s behalf.

Next steps: staff were asked to coordinate with the parks department and the town marshal to manage vendor entrances and to confirm whether any additional permissions are needed because of pending litigation. The board did not authorize a street closure that would permanently block access.