Tensions run high over Entertainment Destination Center proposal: full deep dive
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Tensions ran high Tuesday night at the Bowling Green City Commissioners meeting – commissioners and stakeholders all with different opinions about a downtown entertainment district.
Since 2016, multiple city divisions have been working together to design an entertainment center in downtown BG.
The Entertainment Destination Center will allow people to carry alcohol purchased from downtown pars and restaurants in designated outdoor areas during set hours.
Director of Neighborhood and Community Services Brent Childers said, “People are already coming down here for arts and entertainment. This is where you go to a ballgame. This is where you go have a nice dinner out. This is where you go to have drinks with some friends. So, why not create an environment where people can do that in the public space?”
On Tuesday, several stakeholders including downtown business owners, residents and investors showed up at the city commission meeting to voice their opinion.
The EDC area includes downtown hotspots like the BG Ballpark, SKyPAC, Circus Fountain Squares, and a major restaurant and bar scene. The EDC borders would range from 11th and Chestnut down to 6th Street.
The EDC would activate Fridays and Saturdays from 11a.m. to 10p.m. only when there is a special event happening within the entertainment district.
To drink publicly in the downtown area, people will purchase clear, branded city approved cups that law enforcement can easily identify.
The Public Works division would install more pedestrian trash cans so that littering doesn’t get out of control. However, the proposal doesn’t add more public restrooms. This was a big concern voiced by stakeholders who worry about public urination and other bodily functions appearing downtown.
Downtown resident stakeholder Johnathan Bryant said noise ordinances and parking ordinances aren’t consistently enforced in Bowling Green, and he believes this EDC will only make matters worse.
“I’d love to do additional growth to focus on downtown if we as a city can start following and enforcing goals we already have in place all the time, not just while the EDC is active,” said Bryant.
The main concern voiced most on Tuesday was the lack of Bowling Green police officers to enforce the EDC rules despite the plan’s intentions to increase law enforcement monitoring.
Co-owner of Donna’s Bar Micah Rigdon, said bars that stay open until 2:00 a.m. will bear the brunt of dealing with intoxicated people who don’t want to leave at 10:00 p.m.
“Police are not going to be able to monitor the situation or the underage kids or people who are already overly intoxicated. That’s not their job,” said Rigdon.
Rigdon also fears the regulations would lead to people buying his drinks then leaving to tailgate pouring drinks from home.
On the other end of the spectrum, Commissioner Sue Parrigin believes the EDC should not just take place on the weekend, nor require an event trigger.
Additionally, places like the National Corvette Museum who are out of the EDC district would want their big events to trigger the EDC regulations as well.
Childers said, “We don’t want to create anything that’s going to make that experience [of owning a bar downtown] worse. We want to create an experience where people want to come back to downtown Bowling Green – an experience where people want to engage with all the things available here.”
Childers stated the EDC is an amenity heavily-sought by talent who may want to move to the Bowling Green area, and this can be used to push for business and workforce development.
City commissioner Jeff Meisel said, “There’ll be some challenges but this is going to be a living thing that may get tweaked and changed as we go. Nothing will be set in stone from day one that can’t be adjusted and changed later as we see things occur.”
The city commission’s consensus was to submit a list of questions to city staff for further research, then review at the next city commission meeting with another work session.
