ALRC meeting debates new ordinance
by Megan Costello
City Reporter
Students who are underage and without fake ids may soon be allowed inside downtown nightclubs offering entertainment.
The Alcohol License and Review Committee met Wednesday morning to discuss and plan a new city ordinance that will allow people under 21 to enter nightclubs.
The law will provide nightclubs, such as Luther’s Blues and Club Amazon, a license with specific regulations to allow underage people into clubs serving alcohol.
The ordinance is still in its first stage toward becoming a law. The proposal is set to go to the City Council April 1.
The ordinance will define regulations a club must follow in order to allow underage individuals inside.
According to Kenneth Kamp President of the ALRC, the City Attorney is drafting the ordinance.
“We are trying to come up with the ground rules for night clubs to allow people under 21 inside through either wrist-banding or by placing people under 21 in separate rooms,” Kamp said. “It will allow those people to sit and enjoy the club’s entertainment.”
The new city ordinance will eliminate the Cabaret license, which prohibits dancing within six feet of or on top of a bar over which patrons are directly served.
The Cabaret license prohibits serving alcoholic beverages on non-alcoholic nights. Any person under the age of 18 must be chaperoned by a parent or legal guardian unless the dance is held under school or church authority or through parent-teacher association.
Students agreed allowing people under 21 into nightclubs may shift the direction of alcohol-related problems within the city.
“I feel that it is ridiculous that on a college campus, with campus bars and nightclubs, students are unable to visit until they’re about to graduate,” University of Wisconsin freshman Olivia Chaniewski said. “I have friends in Illinois who go to nightclubs because the age to get in is 19, and they do get carded if they want a drink.”
Chaniewski said allowing people under 21 inside clubs will earn establishments more money because it will even out the ages by permitting new people who can handle the atmosphere inside to enjoy intermingling with older ages.
“There would be more people in clubs, rather than out and about the city causing disturbances at house parties,” Chaniewski said.
However, in the case of some nightclubs, such as Pearl’s Nightclub, located in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, people under 21 are allowed inside until 10 p.m. under hotel policy. According to Rick Lacey from Crowne Plaza, if the hotel is given an option under the new ordinance, they may still choose to only allow people under 21 inside until 10 p.m. All decisions will be made once the law is in effect.
If the new license is passed by the City Council, clubs will have to request the new license from the ALRC. The clubs would also have to update their yearly liquor licenses.
Kamp said the committee is hoping to enact the ordinance by July 2004 because establishments update their liquor licenses in July and will be able to then request the new license as well.
