Agencies tune up traffic plans for festivals

Ran on Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Agencies tune up traffic plans for festivals
Extra officers, signs expected to help with congestion near music grounds

By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff

Simultaneous music festivals 30 miles apart may be music to fans' ears, but it means longer hours and beefed up staff for law enforcement.
Extra officers will direct traffic in the town of Union for Country Jam USA and in rural Cadott for Rock Fest.
Sgt. Steve Miescke of the Eau Claire County Sheriff's Department said he is encouraging motorists to take alternate routes to avoid traffic congestion around the Country Jam grounds.
"It's preventative," Miescke said. "It's an excellent way to lessen congestion we see every year."
Mieske also is encouraging people to carpool to help with limited parking space and be familiar with directions to their destination; officers directing traffic don't have time to give directions, he said.
Country Jam organizer Kathy Wright was busy with last-minute details Tuesday afternoon after a fire destroyed some kitchens on the grounds. She doesn't think the fires will have an effect on the festival.
Wright is expecting about 25,000 people, one of the largest crowds in Country Jam's history, for Saturday night's headliner Bon Jovi.
"We've added some reserved and VIP sections," she said. "We're staffed heavy on Saturday night."
Chippewa County Sheriff's Department partol staff will increase with contracted officers from other communities and organizations.
Capt. Gene Gutsch said his department will use the same system for Rock Fest traffic that it has for many years.
The plan includes message boards on Highway 27 alerting drivers to the influx of traffic and officers directing vehicle and foot traffic at the festival entrance.
Gutsch said the system of patrolling campsites and 19 miles of affected roads works well because it's planned years in advance and is based on experience.
Not knowing how many people to expect for Fest's Saturday night headliner, KISS, Gutsch said the department will do things as planned.
"Basically, for us it's just another headliner appearing that night," he said.