Springfield ABC ordinance amendments received first reading

A Springfield ordinance pertaining to the sale of alcohol received a first reading on Nov. 13 during the regular scheduled city council meeting at City Hall.

The ordinance (No. 2012-008A), if it passes a second reading, will receive amendments.
According to the administrative report from City Administrator Laurie Smith, the amendments “will allow for convenient stores (with the sale of gasoline) to be allowed to obtain a license (while abiding by all other stipulations in local and state laws) in the two-block, downtown area from Walnut Street to Doctor Street.”
The current ordinance, according to a copy of the amended version, only allows a “bona fide restaurant” to obtain a license.
The second reading is scheduled for the Dec. 10 city council meeting.

Water expansion
The council also heard a first reading of an ordinance regarding the water expansion project.
City officials announced in a past council meeting that the water company was working on a project that will treat three to four million gallons of water a day.
“This is the first major expansion in about 20 years,” Smith said in a  previous meeting.
Smith said at a past meeting that the water company services about 4,300 customers.
Documents presented to the council included a bond ordinance, a notice of enactment and summary, an interim financing resolution, a flood plain resolution and an environmental mitigation resolution.

STAR Server training
City officials listened to a presentation about STAR Server training from Washington County High School student Amanda Cox. Cox was representing the Washington County Heartland Youth Coalition and RISE Youth.
STAR Server training, Cox said, is designed for bartenders, servers, business owners and managers, local ABC administrators and local law enforcement.
The training is a four-hour, tested class. If the person passes the course, they receive a three-year certification.
If the employee changed jobs, they would take the certification with them.
Cox said the training costs $35.
Cox asked the council to consider adopting an ordinance that would require businesses within city limits to require the training.
The training, she said, would help prevent selling alcohol and tobacco to minors, as well as over serving customers.
City Attorney Bill Robinson asked if obtaining the certification would help businesses lower insurance rates.
Wilma Sorrell, coordinator with the Heartland Youth Coalition, said that it depends on the insurance provider.
Cox said she had already spoken with one business owner that said he would either deduct $5 per week from employee paychecks until the $35 fee was recovered from employees who undergo training, or, possibly pay for the training himself.
Cox told the council that over 45,000 sellers and servers statewide have completed the training. She added that 58 locations have passed ordinances requiring server training such as STAR.
Smith added that the local ABC administrator had completed STAR Server training.

East High Street hearing
According to Smith’s administrative report, a public hearing was held on Nov. 8 regarding the East High Street project close-out.
“The public hearing went well, with only positive comments on the project,” Smith wrote in her administrative report.
Smith said someone in attendance inquired if there would be another phase to the project to complete the second block.
“The city will have to wait for another open period to make an additional application and Kriss (Lowry, who has managed the housing and redevelopment contract for Springfield) advised that it would likely have to be a ‘scattered-site’ development rather than a mandatory, designated development,” Smith wrote.

Heart of Kentucky Holiday festival
According to Kathy Elliott’s tourism commission report, the Heart of Kentucky Holiday Festival was named one of the top 10 2012 winter festivals in the state by the Kentucky Travel Industry Association.
All council members were in attendance. The next regular scheduled meeting is Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. at City Hall.