Albany Commission approves downtown entertainment district allowing sales of alcoholic beverages for outdoor consumption

ALBANY — Visitors to downtown Albany will be able to purchase one alcoholic beverage to consume while strolling or attending entertainment events in the area under a measure passed Tuesday by the Albany City Commission.

Commissioners approved the resolution establishing the downtown entertainment district on a 5-2 vote, with Mayor Bo Dorough and Commissioner Jon Howard casting the votes against the proposal.

The district includes much of the downtown area, including Flint Avenue, Front Street and the Veterans Park Amphitheatre. It extends along part of Oglethorpe Boulevard and is bounded on the west by South Jackson Street from the West Broad Avenue Alley to Pine Avenue.

Participating establishments that sell alcohol must have cameras to monitor activity.

Patrons will be limited to one beer or mixed drink to carry outside, and they will be served in distinctive plastic cups with logos that will allow police to recognize that they were obtained legally.

“That’s a safety component we have added so our public safety officers will know this was a drink purchased at one of our businesses,” Downtown Albany Manager Lequrica Gaskins told commissioners.

Drinking alcoholic beverages from other containers or cans or bottles remains prohibited.

Commissioner Jon Howard said that he could see some potential problems.

“I can imagine our streets will be littered with plastic cups,” he said.

During an interview following the meeting Gaskins said the move is intended to bring more people downtown.

“You have downtown entertainment districts throughout the state of Georgia,” she said. “The are boosting the economy. They are putting feet on the street.”

Ultimately, she said she hopes that increased traffic leads to more businesses deciding to locate in the downtown area.

Also on Tuesday, commissioners heard an update on the COVID-19 virus that has been confirmed in some 36 states as of Tuesday morning. In Georgia, there have been six confirmed cases and 11 presumptive cases, with no deaths as of that time, Southwest District Health Director Charles Ruis said.

“It’s rapidly evolving,” he said of the situation. “Next week, everything I tell you (today) may be obsolete.”

So far, the death rate among those confirmed to have the disease in the United States if 3.4 percent, he said, while it is 1 percent in South Korea.

The most common symptoms are fever, cough and shortness of breath. Currently, health officials are not recommending the cancellation of community events due to the virus. However, those who are most susceptible to severe illness from the virus should take steps to avoid exposure. Those include people older than 65 or who have chronic health conditions, including lung disease, heart disease and diabetes.

“They really need to think twice before they go where large crowds are gathered,” Ruis said.

Ruis said the disease is expected to spread, but that most will not suffer serious health problems. Many will test positive and not be very ill, and the death rate likely will go down. One question Ruis could not answer is whether there are enough kits available to test those who have symptoms of COVID-19.

“I think it’s safe to assume the manufacturing process has been ramped up, and as days go by more test kits will be available,” he said.

Health officials are recommending that anyone with symptoms call a health care provider, hospital or health department instead of going to a facility. Health professionals will gather information over the phone to determine whether the person should seek testing or treatment.

Health officials are urging the public to get flu shots, so in the event there is a COVID-19 outbreak in a community, hospitals will not have to deal with those cases along with a heavy load of flu patients.

Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
AlanMauldin[email protected]