City council expands, extends open intoxicants in the downtown

By Brandi Makuski

A pilot program allowing open intoxicants in the city’s downtown has been expanded to seven days a week and extended to early spring.

The open intoxicant program permitted open alcoholic beverages, only in plastic cups, in certain areas of the downtown throughout the summer. The program helped downtown bars and restaurants sidestep indoor gathering limitations set by Gov. Tony Evers’ administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The request came from the downtown business association, the Stevens Point Alliance, and expired Oct. 16. The city council on Monday agreed to extend the program through March 30, 2021, also expanding it to seven days a week, noon to 9 p.m.

The pilot program was approved in June but not without concerns over safety for some on the council. Interim Police Chief Tom Zenner said the police department had heard no complaints during the program’s initial phase, and he had no concerns moving forward with the expansion.

But some on the council weren’t convinced.

Councilwoman Cindy Nebel (District 3) said moving to seven days a week was a major change and she wasn’t comfortable with it, suggesting the issue be returned to a committee for additional discussion.

“We haven’t made [sic] some real thought here about what types of events we’re going to allow to happen that will cause more people present, as I’ve heard—I haven’t been down there myself, but I’m heard from others—in the beginning, it seemed to be pretty good, but then people weren’t masking, there were larger crowds,” Nebel said. “When you have music, you have larger crowds, and you have shouter louder, and even though you’re outside, it is a way of spreading COVID.”

Nebel voted against the pilot program in June and said she’s still against the idea.

“Having more people in close proximity, where we are in an epidemic [sic] right now, I don’t feel comfortable with this,” she added.

Councilwoman Tori Jennings (District 1) said she also had reservations and suggested having the issue come for a vote before the council without first going through the Public Policy and General Government Committee was a breach of city protocol.

“I will only vote for this as long as a mechanism remains intact to shut this down if any problems arise,” she said. “I’m seeing the train kind of going this direction but I’m concerned this time of COVID will be used as an index for future policy. This is not normal times. The level of activity is much much less than usual, student activity is much less. I will oppose things going forward if this is extended into general ordinance policy without much more investigation and time passing where we can study this in normal times.”

Wiza said the council had the authority to change the open intoxicants program at any time, adding the issue was hastily included on the council’s agenda because it was submitted for consideration late.

Council President Meleesa Johnson (District 5), who brought the request for extension forward, said she agreed with Jennings, saying the council should engage in “considerable” conversation before making it a permanent part of the city’s ordinances.

Kathy Johnson, a representative of the Stevens Point Association and co-owner of Sunset Point Winery, said the program has made a big difference for downtown businesses during the pandemic.

“I’m not sure what Ms. Nebel was referring to when she said there were lots of crowds. I’m going to say there were 75 to 100 people downtown on any given night, and they stayed in their little groups,” Johnson said, adding those attending live concerts were also patronizing downtown restaurants, taking carry0out orders to the Downtown Square.

“We need this. It brought people downtown and that’s what this is all about,” she said, adding while her own business is down, the program helped increase her sales 50-75 percent.

Councilmembers Jennings, David Shorr (District 2), Mykeerah Zarazua (District 4), Johnson, Jeremy Slowinski (District 6), Mary Kneebone (District 7), Thomas Leek (District 8), Polly Dalton (District 9), Keely Fishler (District 10) and Shaun Morrow (District 11) all voted in favor of the extension. Nebel was the sole dissent.