Council approves Portal Park wedding rental, grants one‑hour amplified‑sound exemption

The Westfir City Council voted Dec. 1 to accept a rental application for Portal Park and the Westford Lodge for a wedding on June 20, 2026, contingent on receipt of the remaining required documents and payment. The motion to approve the application passed on a roll‑call vote.

Elizabeth 'Ellie' Brown, the applicant, told the council she secured permission from the mill‑site owners to use the mill site for overflow parking and had submitted a certificate of liability insurance. "We're renting out the whole Westford Lodge for that weekend," Brown said, adding that she expects wedding guests to use nearby rentals and that she has been in touch with local restaurant owners to provide catering options.

City recorder Nicole Burton advised the council that the application erroneously listed alcohol as being sold; Brown confirmed alcohol will not be sold and therefore an OLCC license is not required. The council asked Brown to provide a simple site map showing locations for porta‑potties and parking, and to submit a county bridge‑closure permit once obtained.

Separately, the council approved an exemption to the city noise ordinance allowing one hour of amplified sound for the event from 10–11 p.m. on June 20. The exemption was discussed as a standard one‑hour extension for permitted public events; a councilor said they were "perfectly fine with the exemption" for one hour.

Both approvals were recorded as motions with unanimous affirmative votes. The rental approval and the noise exemption were conditioned on submission of the outstanding documents and payment; council staff will confirm receipt before finalizing contracts.