Summer Town/Gown Report Contains Assessment of 2017 Block Party

The Bloomsburg Town/Gown Relations Committee presented its 2017 summer report at the Bloomsburg Town Council meeting on Monday evening, Aug. 14, and it contained an assessment of the 2017 “Block Party.” Regarding Block Party, the committee made the following comments:

This year’s annual “Block Party” event took place over the weekend of Saturday, April 21, 2017. Occurring at various off-campus properties, Bloomsburg University and the Town of Bloomsburg share concerns regarding safety, the large number of attendees, the number of out-of-town individuals participating in the event, and the reflection it has on both the university and the community at large.

The Town/Gown Relations Committee spearheaded two new initiatives during this year’s event: on-campus parking restrictions and university residence hall visitation restrictions. These initiatives were aimed at curbing the number of individuals attending the event who are not affiliated with either the town or the university. A joint town/university press release was written and distributed on March 22, 2017 detailing these restrictions as well as other general safety reminders ahead of the event.

Both the on-campus parking restrictions and university residence hall visitation restrictions were successful and resulted in an event that was more controlled, attracted far fewer visitors to campus, and yielded less citations. The committee recognizes that more work remains and intends to continue assessing new ideas, deepening our partnership with students, and building on this year’s progress.