Lowell votes down alcohol proposal again

LOWELL -- The City Council again voted against a proposal Tuesday night allowing alcohol to be sold at community events.

The ordinance would have allowed alcohol to be sold during Mudtown days this year. It would have sunset after 2015. A similar ordinance also was defeated by the council in April.

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The Lowell City Council approved lease discussions with Life Wellness USA Corporations for property at Kathleen Johnson Memorial Public Use Park. The corporation plans to construct a Life Wellness Recreation and Therapy Center at the location.

Mayor Eldon Long said he has received many email and phone calls about the ordinance.

"The sentiment coming my way is that people are not against alcohol in the park but they don't want it associated with Mudtown days," Long said.

The ordinance failed with a 4-4 vote. Thomas Evers, Lonnie Jones, Eric Schein and Connor Jones voted against it. It needed a majority to pass.

Leon Estes, a Lowell resident, spoke against the ordinance during a public input period Tuesday.

"I am personally opposed," Estes said. "Mudtown festival has historically been a family occasion. To me it shows children it is OK to drink intoxicating beverages."

Mudtown festival is held annually every May in the city.

The proposed ordinance states the sale and use of alcohol would have been in a specific location. Alderman Dean Bitner also said police officers would have helped secure the area.

"Share the park," Bitner said during the meeting. "We are asking you to allow the sale of alcohol from 6 [p.m.] to midnight two nights a year in a heavy monitored environment."

Linda Vannoy, on Lowell's ordinance committee, said the ordinance was drafted as a compromise.

"It was very carefully thought out," Vannoy said. "The sunset allows us to try it out."

Schein said he voted the way he felt the public wanted him to vote. He mentioned he's from the St. Louis area where alcohol is a part of the culture.

"My third-grade field-trip was to Anheuser-Busch brewery," Schein said. "I am in a different location and a different setting though. My vote is an extension of the city."

Many people in the city seemed concerned about the event being at Mudtown days in particular, Schein said. He said another event could be a compromise.

"I would love to see a real Oktoberfest in the region," Schein said.

Cities in Benton County are facing the decision to allow alcohol sales at community events. Benton County voters approved off-premises sale of alcohol in November 2012. Prior to that, alcohol could only be sold at members-only private clubs.

Rogers started allowing the sale of alcohol at community events in 2013. Events in Bentonville continue to be alcohol free.

Main Street Rogers started Oktoberfest in 2013, said Dana Mather, the organization's director. The event was created around the idea of selling beer and attracted about 1,000 people its first year and 4,000 people its second year.

NW News on 02/18/2015

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