Published: June 29, 2009 11:59 pm      

Main Street asks to sell alcohol at single event

Director claims July party would be ‘very controlled’

ASHLAND — City officials in Ashland are undecided about a request by Ashland Main Street to serve alcohol at a street party at the end of July.

Main Street Director Danny Craig asked the Ashland Board of City Commissioners on Monday to allow the nonprofit to secure a license for limited alcohol sales at the event, which is still in the planning stages. Craig said organizers would like to block off 15th Street between Winchester and the alley to serve food and drinks and set up a stage for a jazz band.

The event would take place between 5 and 8 p.m. he said, adding the environment would be “very controlled.”

“I think we can pull this off and do it tastefully and under control,” said Craig. “We’re not talking about a drunken brawl.”

He told officials he was being trained by ALERT Regional Prevention staff on how to responsibly and safely have an event where alcohol is served.

Craig said a survey of First Friday participants expressed overwhelming support for this type of events. He said of 100 individuals surveyed 63 percent were in favor of a street party with limited alcohol sales. Only 30 percent said they were not in favor, Craig told the commission.

Commissioners were undecided on Monday, appearing to be split on the issue. Commissioners Marty Gute and Cheryl Spriggs expressed support for the event while Commissioners Kevin Gunderson and Larry Brown said they were “uncertain” and “hesitant,” respectively. Mayor Tom Kelley expressed no opinion publicly about the issue at the meeting.

Spriggs praised the idea, saying she thought such an event would draw a different crowd to downtown than is attracted during First Friday.

“I think it is worth a try to pump some new vitality and life into downtown,” Gute said.

Brown said he was hesitant and requested additional information, including complete survey results. “I’d like to keep things downtown very family oriented,” he said. Brown also requested Craig survey other downtown merchants for their opinion.

Craig stressed to commissioners he was just asking to “try” alcohol sales.

“I would like to see us stretch a little bit to try some things we haven’t before,” he said. “Until we do it we don’t know.”

Earlier this year Craig requested the commission approve limited sales on the street during First Friday in a small designated area. The item was removed from the city manager’s consent agenda before the meeting so legal research could be done on the issue, according to officials.