BROOKINGS – The Brookings City Council approved two alcohol applications Tuesday for several upcoming gatherings.
The Swiftel Center was granted a temporary alcohol application for the Jr. National Charolais Show on July 7-10 and the Jr. National Simmental Show on July 13-16. The shows will be at the Swiftel Center and Larson Ice Center.
The Brookings Volunteer Fire Association was granted a temporary alcohol application for a street dance in the 300 block of Main Avenue on July 25. This will be the 105th year this annual event has taken place.
Separate issues
On Thursday, City Manager Paul Briseno clarified the difference between the council approving an alcohol applications and allowing an event to take place; they are two separate things.
“The Council approves all temporary alcohol requests. If denied, the event could still occur, but without the alcohol,” Briseno said. “I would say that if Council denied a permit, staff would ask for clarification to assure we’re meeting their intent.”
It’s an involved process with many moving parts.
“The approval of events and closure of streets has been delegated to an administrative function to allow for quicker response. The administrative parameters are defined by code and set by Council,” Briseno said.
Public scrutiny is heightened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Most of the concern surrounds fairness with the current ordinance and approval of events. The current ordinance governs specific businesses and not events. Regardless, the city still requests event managers observe the CDC best practices to keep residents and visitors safe. Example, Swiftel has a plan to meet the ordinance requirements including the 50% occupancy, sanitation requirements and wearing of masks, etc.
“The promoter has asked all attendees to wear masks and Swiftel will have masks available. They also plan to state routinely throughout the event reminders of social distancing, washing of hands and wearing of masks to protect each other,” Briseno said.
“In this situation Swiftel is providing more than is outlined in the existing ordinance. Staff will work with the Volunteer Fire to examine similar protocols to ensure a great event while protecting all,” Briseno said.
Alcohol applications
Councilor Patty Bacon asked if the Swiftel Center was going to work with the city on a plan to cover COVID-19 issues, saying members of the community had expressed concerns about safety.
Tom Richter, executive director of the Swiftel Center, said the Jr. National Charolais show was scheduled to move into the facility over the Fourth of July weekend. The Swiftel Center had bid on and secured the cattle show a couple of years ago.
Richter said they discussed the situation about six weeks ago and felt they “could run the event safely with the current ordinance in place.”
They are taking a lot of precautions, Richter said, including following CDC guidelines and the city’s ordinance.
“We already have a clean facility,” he said, but they are enhancing their procedures with electrostatic sprayers to help disinfect touch areas quickly.
“We have more hand sanitizers than I’ve seen before – we have them everywhere,” he said, adding they have three times as many as they’ve had in the past.
Food and beverage staff will wear masks, especially when they cannot social distance, Richter said.
“We’re gonna encourage participants to wear masks,” he said.
Richter added he and his staff were waiting to see if the council would keep the restrictions or relax them (the council voted on a first reading to keep the restrictions in place later in the meeting). He said he was meeting with the Simmental group the next day to hear what they will require their participants to do.
“So, we’re taking the precautions that we can,” Richter said.
“We’re trying to get people coming back into our community, helping our small businesses, hotels, retail facilities, gas stations, restaurants, ‘cause they all need it,” Richter said.
Bacon asked if the Swiftel would have masks available for the public.
Swiftel will, and so will the organizations they are working with, Richter said.
Nick Oines, chairman of the Brookings Firemen’s Street Dance, said the organization would work with the city on the COVID-19 restrictions, like wearing masks.
Councilor Holly Tilton Byrne asked if there would be limits on the number of people allowed into the space for the dance.
“That is not something that we have looked at, being that it is a fundraiser,” Oines said, adding since it is in the street, there’s no maximum occupancy restrictions. He was willing to talk about the possibility.
Briseno said Brookings Fire Chief Darrell Hartmann was asked to set up a meeting soon to talk about what measures could be put in place, to follow recommendations from the local hospital and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.
