The inaugural New Year’s Eve celebration being planned for Basin Spring Park will be a bit more festive thanks to recent actions by the Eureka Springs City Council.
At its most recent meeting held on Dec. 9 the council approved a resolution that will allow for a temporary entertainment district in the downtown area on the night of the event, and also approved a one-time exception that will allow confetti to be used when the clock strikes midnight.
The council voted unanimously to approve the temporary entertainment district from 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, to 1 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1, and will include an area on Main Street from The Auditorium to the Grand Central Hotel, on Spring Street from the funnel cake stand to the stairs of Pendergrass Corner and on Center Street from Spring Street to Mountain Street.
The only question council members had before voting to approve the resolution was whether owners of bars and restaurants in the boundaries were aware of how the temporary district works.
“Let me just put the white elephant in the room,” said Damon Henke, part of the committee to organize the event. “I think there could have been more discussions earlier on so that they understood the logistics of how this was all going to go down.
“Obviously, New Year’s Eve is a rising tide to get a large group of people into Eureka Springs. There’s obviously some navigational issues between having an entertainment district, having entertainment in the park, knowing when people are going to be going from bar to bar. So, that has been a topic between bar owners. We probably could have had a meeting early on in this. It didn’t happen, but they are well aware of it now. All of the bar owners that I’ve talked to are for a rising tide overall.”
Any business adjacent to the entertainment district with an Alcohol Beverage Control license is encouraged to participate in the event, council members were told.
Earlier in the meeting, the council voted 5-1 for a one-time exemption to an ordinance that bans confetti in the city so it can be used during the New Year’s Eve Celebration, which is titled “Bash with a Splash,” and will feature a “raindrop” falling from the top of the Basin Park Hotel with an LED “splash” at the bottom at midnight.
Representatives of public works and the parks department will assist in cleaning up the confetti, council members were told.
“We are so excited about what we’re doing for New Year’s Eve,” said Jack Moyer, general manager of the Basin Park and Crescent hotels who is also part of the planning committee for the event. “This is an excellent collaboration of city departments, businesses, volunteers.
“We have worked in partnership with the state of Arkansas who is providing influencers to come into the area. We have a filmmaker coming to capture the event and we have a local content creator. We’re not talking about a small deal here. … We’re throwing a big event to tell the story that we’re a year-round destination to drive additional traffic to keep us going 12 months of the year.”
Different city entities coming together has been key, Moyer said.
“I think the department heads have stepped up to understand the importance, from the CAPC, to public works, to the parks department, to the mayor’s office,” he said. “I’m really proud of the collaboration that has happened here and I think you guys should be, too.”
Council member Susane Gruning responded: “It’s been great collaboration.”
Autumn Slane, in her final regular meeting on the council, agreed. “I think it’s a beautifully planned event,” Slane said. “I am so excited to have it. …”
Harry Meyer was the only council member voting against the confetti exception.
Other Items
The council also voted at the Dec. 9 meeting to approve the third and final reading of an amended ordinance dealing with regulations for bed and breakfast locations, something that has been long in the works with many changes.
The most recent change in the final approval includes a requirement that all B&B’s must advertise that they are bed and breakfast locations, thus serving a type of breakfast. The changes go into effect 30 days from the date of approval.
The council also tabled until its Jan. 13 meeting voting on an appeal of a revocation of nonconforming status of a bed and breakfast located at 5 Ridgeway.
The city planning commission recently revoked the status of the location, saying various regulations haven’t been followed, including having a certificate of occupancy.
The council decided to give owner Draxie Rogers until the next meeting to work on getting proper paperwork in order, including having an inspection by the building inspector.
Slane Farewell
In comments at the end of the meeting, Slane said goodbye to her council counterparts. She opted not to run for a third term in the November general election.
“This is my last meeting, so it’s a little bittersweet,” she said. “I’ll miss you guys, but I’m also going to have a lot of fun without you.”
She also encouraged the council to have a better line of communication during meetings.
“I just want to address one more thing,” she said. “I think it’s a significant thing that we’ve faced at this table for as long as I’ve been here. I feel like it’s the lack of dialogue. We’re not allowed to speak off of this table, so it has to happen here. As I mentioned even earlier tonight, we have to have these reports from [commissions]. I don’t care if you don’t make a decision on it, but it’s going to help process your budget and even just keep everybody accountable. At this juncture, I think it’s up to you guys now to determine what is a job well done. And I urge you to really consider a city manager and to guide us through professionalism and ever- changing infrastructure that we experience in our historic city.
“I wish you guys the best, and I’ll see you at the mayoral election.”
