One angry downtown St. Paul property owner decided that violating city regulations on skyway access could help her deal with unwanted visitors who drink, urinate and sleep in her building. So landlord Jaunae Brooks started locking the doors to the skyways at 8 p.m.

The city owns the skyways and currently requires that they be open from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. Brooks' building overlooks Mears Park and is an important link to Lowertown, an increasingly popular nighttime entertainment zone with bars, restaurants and CHS Field. Maintaining skyway accessibility is seen as a factor in the area's success.

Earlier this month, the City Council denied Brooks' request for an exemption to the ordinance, but she vowed to continue to shut her doors at 8 p.m. because the fines will be less expensive than the costs of cleaning up what's left behind by late-night visitors.

The disagreement is just one of a number of situations that highlights the need to balance access and safety concerns in the skyways. Fortunately, a downtown group is working to update and clarify skyway policies. The Skyway Vitality Work Group, co-chaired by Council Member Rebecca Noecker and Deputy Mayor Kristin Beckmann, hopes to have new rules in place by Labor Day.

The working group includes city officials, representatives of downtown businesses, property owners, residents and workers. In addition to addressing skyway rules, they're also wisely working with Ramsey County, law enforcement authorities and nonprofits to get help for the homeless and young people who create some of the safety problems.

It's important to strike that balance because St. Paul is growing — about 9,000 now call the city's downtown home. That growth has occurred because of the amenities the city now has to offer — including a greater variety of housing and arts and entertainment options — and a skyway network that allows residents to get around without cars.

Those investments will be jeopardized if downtown skyways become such unpleasant places that visitors and potential residents choose to stay away. In exchange for building most of the skyway system, the city sets the hours for public access, and owners are expected to provide their own building security. In Minneapolis, building owners build and maintain the skyways and decide opening and closing hours.

The St. Paul working group has held numerous public meetings on the issue and has recommended two proposed ordinances that would clarify permissible conduct in the skyway, giving security and law enforcement personnel greater flexibility to issue citations, and set minimum requirements for what basic security building owners must provide. The city is also considering closing skyways at midnight instead of 2 a.m.

Additional public sessions are expected to be held this summer with the goal of adopting new regulations by early September. The result should be policies that will make St. Paul skyways safer, cleaner and better neighbors for building owners and tenants who depend on the system.