TEXARKANA, Ark. — Shrinking the downtown entertainment district and adjusting its hours were among ideas discussed Wednesday at a workshop of the Board of Directors and the city’s planning commission.
On Nov. 3, the Board of Directors discussed a proposed ordinance that would affect alcohol usage in the entertainment district. The Police Department proposal, touted as a public safety measure, would prohibit walking around with an alcoholic beverage after 10 p.m.
City officials used the workshop to fine tune the plan. Suggestions included reducing the size of the entertainment district; limiting the hours of operation of the entertainment district; prohibiting the consumption of outside alcohol within the district; and establishing requirements for annual reviews of the district.
Several business owners were in attendance to voice their concerns about the possible changes. They addressed the Board of Directors and the planning commission finding a solution that would work for all sides.
The workshop ended with three suggestions to be voted on at the next board meeting: removing the block in which Rock House Liquor Store sits from the entertainment district; prohibiting the consumption of outside alcohol; and changing the hours of the entertainment district to 11 a.m. to midnight.
The entertainment district’s current hours are 11 a.m. to 2 .m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday.
During the workshop, three videos of different fights were shown as examples of disorderly conduct that occur within the entertainment district. Another video showed a fight outside of the district.
“The video that you showed that was outside of it, if a fight like that occurs and you show it, then what is reducing the time really do to help the entertainment district, because it just seems like reducing the time isn’t a factor because you showed a fight,” said Jesse Darby-Tillis II, who has held a number of events in the entertainment district.
After the three were selected, the workshop members asked the audience to raise their hands if they agreed or disagreed with the three suggestions. While the majority agreed with the first two points, some business owners raised their hands against the change of hours.
The proposed ordinance was read for the first time Nov. 3. A second reading will be at the next regular board meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 17.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.texarkanagazette.com ’
