Glenarden council debates Gold Room food rules, waivers and community room hours

Glenarden City Council members spent the bulk of a work session debating proposed rules and fees for the city’s Gold Room and an adjacent community room, focusing on whether non‑catered food may be allowed by waiver and on new hours and signage for the community room.

The dispute centered on legal advice Councilwoman Pamela Jones said the city attorney gave her: "you cannot write a waiver over someone else's right," Jones said, summarizing advice that a tenant cannot sign away a third party’s ability to sue if guests become ill. Jones said Prince George’s County and the state require licensed caterers and licensed kitchens for certain venues.

Why it matters: the Gold Room is the city’s primary rental venue for private events; the rules set who may provide food, who must carry insurance, and when residents may use a smaller community room. Council members raised equity concerns about blocking lower‑cost, family‑prepared food at events and also warned that ignoring county health rules could expose the city to liability.

Councilwoman Jones and Vice President Sueann Ferguson offered conflicting readings of attorney advice. Ferguson said her understanding was that a renter could sign a waiver taking responsibility: "the person giving the event would, sign a waiver, saying that if anything happened, the city would not be responsible," she said. Jones and others said counsel had concluded such waivers could not fully bar third‑party claims.

Several council members asked for the county environmental health staff and the city attorney to brief the council directly. Councilwoman Valerie Guillain suggested inviting Deborah Freeman, Program Chief for Environmental Health (Prince George’s County), to explain how county rules treat private parties versus public events and whether potlucks are permitted. Jones said she had already received messages from county staff indicating that private parties are "not required to use licensed facilities, although it is recommended," and that when food is sold or served to the public a permit is required.

On related operational points, staff proposed opening the smaller community room on Sundays to improve resident access. Councilwoman Fareed supported adding Sunday hours; others expressed concern that outside groups might displace city residents and said the facility’s developer lease limits use to community purposes rather than a revenue‑generating rental business.

Council direction and next steps: Council members agreed to consolidate the edits discussed in the meeting and to remove a proposed blanket allowance for nonprofit outside organizations to use the community room (the council voted by unanimous consent to strike language permitting outside nonprofits). The clerk was asked to incorporate the edits and circulate a revised document so the council could review it before a public hearing. Several members requested a formal attorney briefing or a county health official to appear at a future work session before final adoption.

Budget and procedural notes: councilmembers asked that any waiver or release language be legally drafted and attached to the rental contract; several members pointed to an existing release in the current contract that requires a renter to "indemnify and hold the City of Glenarden . . . harmless" and asked that staff ensure the release language is attached consistently to both Gold Room and community center agreements.

What remains unresolved: whether the city will allow non‑catered food at private events if guests sign waivers at the door; whether additional signed waivers by attendees would alter liability; and the exact wording of the indemnity/release and any signage or registration procedure. Staff will prepare the revised rules for a public hearing with the attorney’s and (if requested) the county environmental health official’s input. Ending