STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – A proposal to close the Mathias Mitchell Public Square between the hours of 3am and 4am was denied at the committee level in Stevens Point this week.
It was brought to attention following the city receiving several notices from police and businesses of people loitering in the area at those times of day.
The proposal had originally called for the timeframe to be from 3am to 5am., but was changed in an effort to account for farmers’ market vendors who begin setting up early on Saturday mornings
Recent discussions saw some say the proposal did not do enough to address the root of homelessness, which is one of the factors being targeted.
“We were asked for another tool to move people. We don’t want to just be handing out fines. That is not appropriate in all cases. We wanted another mechanism to try and remove the problem,” said Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza, adding the issue at hand is complex and must be addressed with a complex solution.
Discussions on the topic could re-emerge as soon as Monday, which is the date of the next Common Council meeting.
