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St. Albans business owners push for clarity on POTA festival cup rules and enforcement
Summary
Local restaurant owners and event organizers told the St. Albans City Council they support the city's effort to allow portable open-container events (POTA) but want clearer rules on event cup sales, vendor revenue, and enforcement before the policy takes effect.
St. Albans business owners and festival organizers urged the City Council on July 21 to provide clearer rules and outreach about a proposed POTA (portable open-container) policy before it is broadly applied to large events.
The concern centers on which entities can sell event cups during festivals, how cup sales affect nonprofit and event-committee fundraising, and how enforcement will distinguish souvenir/event cups from regular service cups.
Dr. Torres, who identified himself as a restaurant owner and member of the Polyol committee, said he supports smaller POTA events but objected to applying the policy to larger events such as YachtFest and Chili Fest. "I support POTA. I don't support POTA for the larger events, Yac Fest, Chili Fest, Mountain View Main Street," he said, and asked the council to consider how street sales would affect restaurants that operate primarily as dining establishments with bars. He told the council he had ordered 5,000 low-cost cups at $0.20 each and said committees often sell souvenir cups and shirts as fundraising: "If we sell 500 of these, we get $2,000," said Steven Zabriskie, a member of the event committee.
City staff and organizers said the Alcohol Beverage Control Administration (ABCA) and city ordinance language will guide permitting and inspections. Council members and staff said ABCA already has the city's ordinance language and maps for initial review, and that the permitting process includes an inspection and a final sign-off by ABCA. Jared (staff member) offered to organize a briefing with Charleston officials who have run POTA programs: "I don't mind at all to set that up," he said when a city representative offered Charleston's assistance.
Speakers asked the council to clarify several items before wider implementation: whether bars could sell POTA cups during large festivals (speakers understood that festival committees would be the sole sellers during festival events), how souvenir cup sales would be split with local nonprofits, and how enforcement officers would distinguish approved POTA cups from other containers. Organizers described a plan to use distinct cup designs and color schemes for enforcement and for different events; Mountaineer Main Street and other event committees have already ordered cups with a POTA design.
Direction and next steps were informal: staff agreed to continue coordination with ABCA and to arrange a meeting with Charleston officials to discuss implementation lessons and enforcement practices. No ordinance vote or formal council action on POTA occurred during the meeting.
Why it matters: business owners said the policy could generate event revenue for nonprofits but also could reduce restaurant food-service revenue and create operational and enforcement challenges for local businesses during large festivals.
Local contacts: Dr. Torres (Shuckers restaurant owner), Steven Zabriskie (Polyol committee), Jared (city staff).
