Halloween

Announcement from the Downtown Partnership:

HOMEGROWN HALLOWEEN INFORMATION
 
Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership                  October 31, 2008
 
Homegrown Halloween in Chapel Hill is an effort to return Halloween on Franklin Street to its roots as a small town community gathering and reduce crowd sizes that have become unmanageable. The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and the Town of Chapel Hill are committed to focusing on the safety of the downtown community. Below are details on town operations for Halloween.  For complete details please click here.
 
 
Thank you to the Chapel Hill Police Department and the many other town staff and departments who make extraordinary efforts to maintain a safe environment in Chapel Hill for Halloween visitors and everyone in our community!
 
If you have any questions please contact:
--Officer Phil Smith, Chapel Hill Police Department at (919) 968-2760 ext.134 or psmith@townofchapelhill.org
 
--Catherine Lazorko, Chapel Hill Public Information Officer  at (919) 968-2743 or publicaffairs@townofchapelhill.org
 
--Meg McGurk, Assistant Director at the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership at (919) 967-9440 or meg@downtownchapelhill.com  
 
 
General Information about Halloween:
 
 
       
 Street Closures in the Town of Chapel Hill:
 -Southbound traffic on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd will be merged into one lane prior to the intersection of Estes Drive. VIEW MAP

-Westbound traffic on E. Franklin Street will be merged into one lane prior to the intersection of Estes Drive. VIEW MAP
-Westbound lanes on South Road will be detoured onto Ridge Road to Manning Drive. VIEW MAP
 
- Westbound traffic on Manning Drive will be detoured south onto S. Columbia Street. Northbound traffic on S. Columbia Street will be detoured east onto Manning Drive. S. Columbia Street will be closed to northbound traffic at Manning Drive.
VIEW MAP
 
Street Closures in Downtown Chapel Hill:
The closed area of Downtown Chapel Hill will be larger in order to accommodate the size of the crowd. No vehicular traffic will be allowed in the closed area once the streets are closed.  There will also be limited access to the residential areas immediately around the Central Business District.    
Closed Area:
· Franklin Street - from Raleigh Street to Roberson Street
· Columbia Street from Cameron Avenue to Rosemary Street
· Raleigh Street From Cameron Avenue to East Franklin Street
 
Parking Downtown on Halloween:
-As always, there will be little to NO PARKING available close to downtown, and there will be no place for charter buses to drop off or pick up passengers.
- Parking meters on the 100 block of East Franklin Street, all of West Franklin, Henderson and North Columbia Streets will be bagged for No Parking starting at 3:30 P.M.
-Vehicles parked on streets to be closed will be towed beginning at 6 p.m.
-Vehicles that are illegally parked will be ticketed and towed, with a minimum recovery cost of $103.
 
Prohibited Items in the Closed Areas:
Items, even as part of a costume, which can be used as weapons or could reasonably be mistaken as weapons will be confiscated. This includes items made of wood, metal, cardboard or hard plastic.
Town ordinances and State statutes prohibit the following items in the closed area:
·Alcoholic Beverages
·Weapons
·Glass Bottles
·Paint
·Fireworks and Explosives
·Flammable Substances
·Animals
· Coolers

Downtown Merchant Restrictions:
-Downtown restaurants and bars will close their doors at 1 a.m. to new patrons.
-Patrons will be charged a minimum $5 cover charge not attending a private event.
-Downtown convenience stores that sell alcohol will either close their doors or stop selling alcohol at 1 a.m.
 
Public Transit Options on Halloween:
-There will be NO BUS SHUTTLES operating from park and ride lots.
- Safe Ride buses will operate from 11 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Safe Ride is a service funded by the University for the safety of students. Safe Ride buses will attempt to operate the normal printed schedule along the detoured routes. Safe Rides will not serve Downtown/Franklin Street area. For Safe Ride map and schedule details click here.
-Chapel Hill Transit riders should be aware that some regular bus routes will be changed on Halloween. For details on changed routes please click here.

Information for Downtown Residents:
The Town of Chapel Hill will make every effort to keep people who are attending the event from parking in downtown neighborhoods.
- Access to  neighborhoods will be limited by barricades and police personnel at the roads leading into neighborhoods. This will begin early in the evening.
-Residents of the neighborhood will be able to drive in and out of the enclosed area. Residents should tell the officer at the barricade their address.
-Residents guests will also be able to enter and leave. They will need to tell the officer at the barricade exactly where they are going.
- Illegally parked vehicles (even of residents, guests) will be ticketed and towed.
-Traffic will be congested and getting past the barricades may be a slow process. We recommend that you plan accordingly.
 
Contact Information:
--Officer Phil Smith, Chapel Hill Police Department at (919) 968-2760 ext.134 or
psmith@townofchapelhill.org
--Catherine Lazorko, Chapel Hill Public Information Officer  at (919) 968-2743 or publicaffairs@townofchapelhill.org
--Meg McGurk, Assistant Director at the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership at (919) 967-9440 or meg@downtownchapelhill.com