Agenda:
· Discuss rules and regulations w/r/t music and alcohol at galleries
Start Time: 7:05
Board Present: Kathleen Marcin, Corey Sciuto, Greg Page, Stephen Greene
Minutes:
Presenting: Captain Kevin Sullivan, LPD (Also Present: Captain Jack Webb, and Lt Tommy Siopes)
Aggravated assaults – 11 in the past four weeks “over threshold” After 1 AM and before 3 (1:45-2:30 majority).
3 Officers and supervisor on Fridays and Saturdays + reserve officers from Community Response Team 11PM-3AM. 4 officers on Overtime.
Gang issues are up citywide, straining resources
Five car breaks. Four downtown this weekend (high). Two in Canal Place III.
Liquor Guided by state laws Ch 138.
Every police officer in the state must act as agent for Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.
Amplified music requires a special permit (max 30 permits per year).
Stacie Hargis: Is that each time?
Sullivan: Each time. Same with liquor. Maximum of 30 liquor permits per year.
Captain Jack Webb:
Delivery of an alcoholic beverage outside of a residence is prima facie evidence of sale. Even giving a beer to a friend is illegal.
There are private club licenses, restaurant licenses, beer and wine only for package stores and restaurants.
Mike Daley: Do bars have a full year sound license and how?
Webb: Full-time Liquor licenses come with a year-round amplified music license. You cannot get an all-encompassing license for just music. This is not the same as an entertainment license.
Retail spaces being used for other purposes require an accessory use permit from the building department (occupancy restrictions, etc). Galleries are included.
Dimitrios Booras: Galleries are not adequately covered by these types of licenses.
Webb: True. They should get an accessory use permit.
Sullivan: The prima facie evidence statue limits the officers from using discretion. It requires us to break these up.
You should draft up a request to the license commission about grey areas.
Kathleen M: Agreed. License commission is reviewing license rules and regulations right now. Good timing.
Ayer Lofts was serving alcohol this weekend, I was worried they were going to get busted.
Walter Wright: $75 for wine and beer, $150 for full alcohol, one day.
Webb: The ABCC doesn’t want you drinking outside of your house or a licensed establishment, and a gallery will not get one of those full, limited-number (states determine how many each municipality receives) licenses.
Mauricio Cordero: What covers caterers?
Webb: There is a new license to cover this. It is on the part of the caterer.
Sullivan: Whistler House has used this.
Sullivan: There are liability issues as well. If somebody drives drunk from your event, you can be responsible.
Kathleen: Does a gallery need an insurance rider for events?
Sullivan: Don’t know.
Kathleen: Is there a requirement from the license commission about insurance?
Webb: Don’t know
Investigate.
Walter: Is there a cost for the sound permit?
Sullivan: Don’t know
Mike Daley: How about outdoor music?
Webb: Don’t know
Stacie: COOL put together a festival handbook – should cover the sound permits.
Webb: Get the accessory use and sound permit and alert the LPD.
Stacie to get handbook to Kathleen. Find cost of sound permit.
License Commission page – forms on left.
Corey: Permits expire @ 10 PM during the week and 12 PM on Weekends.
Mike: These prices are prohibitive.
Lt Siopes: When we get called in about a complaint, we have to act.
Kathleen: (To gallery owners): Meet with COOL, City of Lowell, Building Dept (Kendra resigning), Lowell Fire Department, etc.
Corey to help organize follow-up meeting.
Mauricio: There is a meeting of museum directors @ 10 AM tomorrow (September 25th), we will push to the top of the agenda.
Stephen Greene: Re assaults, are there cameras? Where did they happen?
Webb: Yes, but the cameras tend to miss the action. We can’t say which bars are responsible.
Sullivan: We are usually making arrests in these cases. The number of incidents look like they’re rising, but that has a lot to do with increased enforcement. (e.g. public urination).
Kathleen: These galleries are helping with the problem as well by offering alternate entertainment.
(End presentation)
Corey to set up email list?
Kathleen: Remember to sign up to vote! Last day to register is Oct 17th.
Steven: The license commission law changes [last time through] were Draconian, which is why they didn’t go through. We have a few problem places and we know who they are. Maybe with a new licensing commission, we’ll have action. We should work on this and the gallery license stuff as well.
Kathleen: (To gallery owners) Talk to Andy [Brew’d Awakenings] about the Busk Stop rules; the galleries should get something similar for music. It was very well written.
End 8:08