Board adds Church Street lot to short‑term facility use policy after heated public comments; effort to protect Giving Team draws requests for exceptions

The Hot Springs Board of Directors on Jan. 21 adopted Ordinance O‑25‑05 to add the Church Street parking lot to the city’s short‑term facility use policy, allowing the city to accept and manage applications for temporary non‑parking uses of the lot.

Deputy City Manager Denny McPhate told the board the amendment would bring the Church Street lot — about 66 spaces — into the same policy that governs temporary uses of other public plazas and parking areas and would make the space available to any applicant under the city’s existing fee structure. McPhate said staff proposed two alternative city‑owned sites for food and resource distribution events and highlighted a potential maximum revenue loss of $792 per day if the entire lot were used for an event.

Bill Burrows, city manager, said inclusion in the short‑term facility policy is intended to create a managed inventory of city spaces available for rent and special events. He told the board, “I don’t want anyone to…