This year, Vanderbilt Avenue's open streets program will be drastically reduced to Saturdays from May to September, limiting community access and programming. The previous year's cuts had already reduced hours by 40%, and this new change constitutes a further 50% decrease, attributed to funding shortfalls. Organizers stress the importance of open streets for community engagement and local businesses, lamenting the decision as detrimental. They highlight that insufficient city funding, reliance on private sponsorships, and the need for consistent funding adversely affect the program's viability, putting increased pressure on volunteers.
It's a great community program. And it's not an exaggeration to say there are thousands of people that come out every summer, locally and just from around the city to enjoy it.
Organizers say it's getting too expensive to run the open street without much more dedicated city funding, which is giving less money to the Vanderbilt open street than ever.
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