East Ridge council approves Venue 1921 alcohol rules, landscaping and equipment amid staffing questions

The East Ridge City Council on Nov. 13 approved a package of items to prepare Venue 1921 for public events, including conditions for alcohol service, a landscaping contract, and the purchase of furniture and linens.

City Manager Robert Miller told the council the resolution on alcohol establishes the venue as the pavilion structure at 1501 Thomas Avenue plus adjacent parking and green space owned or operated by the city, requires applications at least 30 days in advance through the city clerk, and requires proof of insurance and licensing. Under the policy, events expected to include alcohol face a $50 nonrefundable alcohol-event fee and may be charged for police staffing when attendance exceeds a specified threshold. "If you are not approved by the city, you do not serve alcohol at this establishment," Miller said, describing a process where bar-service staff must be city- or venue-approved or otherwise meet the city's certification and insurance requirements.

Council votes and staff discussion focused on how large an event should trigger required police staffing. Council member Cagle asked whether a single officer would be sufficient for gatherings of 40–70 people. Miller said the city had set the threshold at 100 but was open to adjusting it and noted that officers on site can call for backup. "I said, we picked a 100, but if you feel that we need to go down to 50 ... we can put that in there for 75," Miller said during the debate.

The council approved the alcohol/service resolution on a roll call vote (one ‘no’ recorded from Council member Cagle; the rest voted yes).

Landscape and furniture approvals

The council awarded a landscaping contract to Big Sky Landscapes for Venue 1921 in the amount of $58,150, a plan that staff said had been pared back from a larger concept to meet budget constraints. Miller told the council that November and December are planting months and that the city aimed to complete planting by Thanksgiving if the landscaping bid was approved; otherwise plantings would wait until spring. "If it doesn't get done by the second week in December, we gotta wait until March or April to do the plantings," Miller said.

Council also approved the purchase of folding tables, resin chairs with cushions and transport dollies for Venue 1921 at a total cost of $15,004.78. Staff explained chairs are sold in vendor pack sizes (200 and 300 packs) and that the city combined orders to reach the required quantity of 500.

Preferred vendor list and operational details

Separately, the council discussed a preferred vendor list for catering, bar services, floral/decor, event planners, lighting/AV, rentals and photography. Miller said the list would be compiled through an open bidding process and serve as suggestions for venue users; use of the list would be optional.

What happens next

The council approved the package of Venue 1921 items and sent the preferred vendor process to bid. Council members asked staff to refine language on the venue definition and reconsider the police-staffing threshold to balance safety and affordability for users.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 37-63 (Venue 1921 alcohol/service conditions): approved (roll call: Vice Mayor Tyler yes; Council member Cagle no; Council member Ezell yes; Council member Witt yes; Mayor Williams yes). - Resolution 37-64 (Big Sky Landscapes landscaping contract, $58,150): approved (unanimous roll call). - Resolution 37-65 (chairs, tables, linens, $15,004.78): approved (unanimous roll call).

The council scheduled the preferred-vendor item for solicitation and will revisit operational thresholds or clarifications as staff returns final language.