It was a light agenda for Tuesday’s meeting of the Piedmont City Council, which was highlighted by a local businessman’s proposal for a series of several events to be held within the city over the next year.
Nathan Pope, owner of Pope’s Furniture, a fixture of downtown Piedmont, spoke on behalf of a group of business owners, who want to attract more people to downtown events.
One idea that Pope discussed, was that of adding a beer garden to various events throughout the year.
“It would be completely separate, and would be set up like a wedding tent,” said Pope. He went on to explain, “There will be minimal points of entry and some sort of barricades, so you can’t come and go at any point,” adding, “You wouldn’t be able to walk through town with a beer in your hand.”
This comes after previous event organizers recently saw their proposals rejected by the council over concerns of public alcohol consumption.
But, Pope feels like this would be a good compromise and several members of the council agreed.
“All I asked was that we find some sort of compromise, because there are some people who call and say they don’t want this kind of thing,” said Council Member Doug Dickeson, who had voted against previous event proposals that featured public alcohol sales.
Other ideas that Pope pitched to the council included moving the city’s annual Christmas parade to a Saturday next year to coincide with a Christmas Village.
He also expressed a desire to bring back Piedmont’s Sunshine Festival sometime in October, featuring a cook-off competition and live music.
In other business, bills for payment were approved in the amount of $448,210.29.
Following a recommendation by Mayor Bill Baker, the council unanimously agreed to give city employees a day off on December 31st. Baker noted that city employees haven’t received a Christmas bonus in several years.
The next regular Piedmont City Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 18th, immediately following the work session, which is set for 5:30pm.