ASHLAND — City officials have denied a request by Ashland Main Street to sell alcohol at a street party event downtown.
Ashland commissioners voted down the proposal 3-2 on Thursday night. Commissioners Marty Gute and Cheryl Spriggs voted in favor of allowing Main Street to sell alcohol while Commissioners Larry Brown and Kevin Gunderson were joined by Mayor Tom Kelley in voting no.
Main Street Director Danny Craig first approached city officials with the idea last month. Craig said organizers would like to block off 15th Street between Winchester and the alley to serve drinks and dinner while a jazz band played on a temporary stage.
Craig said he believed the event could be in a controlled and tasteful manner and would provide an opportunity to present a unique event that would draw a different crowd downtown. “I’d like to see us stretch ourselves a little bit,” he said, adding the event would be an adult only party.
Despite the support of Spriggs and Gute, who said they both supported trying the event, the remaining three members of the commission cited numerous reasons for voting down the measure.
Kelley said he was concerned the event would allow alcohol sales on a public street, opening up the city to liability and betraying the intent of the original ordinance residents voted to approve in 1980. “The original intend was not to flaunt the sale of alcohol,” he said.
Brown agreed. “I feel like the ordinance we have in place now has worked well for us and my vote was because I felt like we were in the parameters of it,” he said.
Gunderson and Brown also worried aloud that the approval of the measure could trigger another wet/dry vote in Ashland or “open the box” to other organizations seeking similar approval for events.
Ashland’s limited sales alcohol ordinance does allow nonprofit agencies to sell alcohol at events on private property without a vote by the commission. Events that take place on public property require the approval of the city commission.
“I’m disappointed, but at the same time, they are the ruling body of the city and I accept that,” said Craig after the meeting.
“We will continue to try to think of out of the box ideas, to bring them to the city commission to continue to push our city forward and add a variety of events. That is one of the things we’re really trying to do. The reason we’re trying to do a variety of things is when you do that it draws a variety of people,” he said.
Craig did not rule out trying the idea again — only on private property.
“Yeah, I think we can discuss it again at some future time,” he said, “We’re trying to put our finger on the pulse of the community to try to give them some of the things they want and try to revitalize downtown. Lots of people are working on economic development. Our piece of it is to try to create some cultural things. It just creates a destination.”
CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.
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