05/01/2007 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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n LJ Council Minutes of 5/1/2007 favor of that location. After a lengthy discussion by members, administration and residents, the committee unanimously voted to hold the matter in committee so that the administration and T-Mobile can go over the many suggestions made to see if they are possible and/or practical for the benefit of everyone. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION .... James F. Cotner, 7145 Barton Road, a member of Pipe Fitters 120, spoke about the Labor Day parade to be held in North Olmsted. He supports the legislation to allow alcohol to be served in the park for this family-oriented event. He has attended the parade for 28 years, and there have never been any alcohol related problems. There also will be food served. The sale of beer is a fundraiser to help disabled members of the unions. John Ryan, 4592 Williamstown Drive, spoke about the Labor Day parade. This is an opportunity not to just celebrate union members but all working people. At this event, you will see people who are proud of the work they do that makes America work. During the past 11 years he has been the principal officer of the AFL-CIO and the past 25 years he has been a delegate to the AFL-CIO, people in all the different towns hosting the parade have enjoyed a beer at the end of the parade. He is very proud of fact that it is a family-minded event and he has not seen one incident or problem. Thanks to his city for being the host this year. Mayor O'Grady congratulated Mr. Ryan as he will be the Grand Marshall of the parade. Terry Groden, 25211 Chase Drive, has given a lot of thought to the issue of alcohol in the park for the parade. In a recent newspaper article, the Mayor said that the time might be right now to set this kind of precedent for bringing alcohol in the park in North Olmsted. Coincidentally, in the same issue there was a guest column from a local parents organization warning parents that this is a prime time of year to be on the watch for underage consumption. In an era when a growing number of parents seem to be disengaged from their kids' lives, adolescent behavior is often learned by what they see from their peers or what they observe directly. Given this climate, when alcohol is already so prevalent at other events attended by children, he wonders if we really need to add another family outing to the list of places where kids are exposed to drinking. When legislation is passed in these chambers, careful consideration is given to costs and benefits to the city-usually in monetary terms. In this matter, there are other potential costs involved-long-term costs that are measured by crash statistics and mortality tables. He is very concerned that this could set the precedent for allowing the sale of beer in North Olmsted Park during Homecoming. He does not believe that is a good solution for trying to bring more people to that event. Just because other cities have allowed alcohol at certain public events, he does not believe that makes this the right thing to do. Mayor O'Grady thanked Mr. Groden for his comments and said Mr. Groden's concerns about the health and welfare of young people is very commendable. But as has been very clearly stated and his research has found the same thing, in the dozens and dozens of years this event has been held, there has never been an incident that anyone can recall- 7