Jonesborough board approves on‑premises beer license for Jackson Theater; authorizes USDA loan resolution for theater project

The Jonesborough Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted to approve an on‑premises beer license for the Jackson Theater and separately adopted a resolution authorizing the town to pursue a USDA Rural Development loan for the theater project.

The board approved the theater’s license application after a brief discussion about whether the town or the theater board should set a written policy on alcohol service. Amber, a Jackson Theater manager, told the board that planned service would be limited to “wine and beer” and that staff would complete server‑permit training. “Yes. So I know when we had talked about it, … we’d be talking about, like, wine and beer,” Amber said. She added that staff, including assistant operations manager Lori Powell, had completed or would complete required server training.

Alderman Wolf moved to approve the license; the motion carried. Board members said the Jackson Theater Board will draft a policy on who may serve alcohol and return that policy to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for review.

Separately, the board approved Resolution No. 2020‑05‑4 (listed in the meeting packet as a USDA Rural Development loan resolution) to advance the Jackson Theater project’s financing process. The resolution is a formal step to enable the town and project partners to pursue federal loan funding through USDA Rural Development.

Why this matters: The Jackson Theater is a town‑owned performance venue and downtown anchor. Local officials said authorizing both the license and the USDA financing step supports ongoing efforts to operate the theater as an active cultural and economic asset.

What the board said and ordered: Board members emphasized staff training and a forthcoming policy. Amber told the board staff would hold server‑permit classes and that the Jackson Theater Board would draft the alcohol policy to return to the BMA for consideration. Town staff said they would continue to monitor compliance with state and local requirements for on‑premises alcohol service.

Formal actions recorded at the meeting appear in the town minutes and included the license approval and the loan resolution vote.