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Committee advances Cheese Days permit despite committee member's child-safety concerns about open containers
Summary
The Public Safety Committee voted to forward the Cheese Days special-event permit (Sept. 17–20) to the Common Council despite a committee member raising concerns about allowing open containers across the festival footprint; staff defended the managed open-container approach and listed barriers and policing measures.
The Public Safety Committee voted to forward the Cheese Days special-event permit — scheduled Sept. 17–20 — to the Common Council, even as a committee member said they were uncomfortable allowing open containers across the entire festival footprint because of concerns for children and youth.
The sponsor and staff presented the application and supporting materials, including a multi-page attachment that lists street closures, staging logistics and the police department’s recommendations. The presenter said two downtown parks were explicitly added as “open container relaxation areas” in the application and described operational changes — temporary barriers and signage — organizers use to keep vehicles out of pedestrian zones and prevent early staking of terrace space.
A committee member said, “I’m not comfortable with the open containers in the entire festival grounds for the entire length of the festival,” citing worries about children observing public drinking and referring to the police annual report’s high incidence of alcohol-related calls. The presenter replied, “having the open containers as part of especially a large festival like Cheez Days has actually brought us where we don't have as many problems,” saying that spreading patrons across outdoor zones reduced overcrowding in taverns and historic fight incidents.
Staff described other mitigations that will be in place, including increased barricades, signage that prevents residents from reserving terrace space early, and coordination with police on street closures and staging. The presenter said the changes reflect multi-year operational adjustments and added the event’s logistics file runs many pages and starts staging days before the festival.
A committee member made a motion to forward the permit to the Common Council; after a second, the clerk called the roll and recorded unanimous committee support to move the item forward. The clerk’s roll call at committee recorded the ayes as: Alder Schaffer; Alder Wharton Wyler; and Alder Belkley.
The permit now goes to the Common Council for final consideration. The committee discussion made clear the decision to advance the application was conditioned on existing operational controls and police coordination rather than a change in liquor-licensing procedures.
