Plan to ban underage from Macon bars gets tepid reception

Opponents of a proposed ordinance to ban 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds from Macon-Bibb County bars predominated at a public hearing Tuesday afternoon.

But the first of two public discussions on a proposal from Commissioner Scotty Shepherd drew only about two dozen listeners and a half-dozen speakers.

Shepherd said his ordinance is intended not only to keep 18- to 20-year-olds out of bars, but also to prevent loitering in front of them. Employees and performers would be exempt, according to the ordinance.

Shepherd and Commissioners Ed DeFore, Elaine Lucas, Larry Schlesinger and Al Tillman attended the public hearing.

Greg Williams, holding a $20 bill in one hand and a New Testament in the other, argued in favor of the measure. Young women are getting pregnant and young people in general are using drugs after drinking in or near downtown clubs, he said.

“These young people are being picked up in these bars and clubs,” Williams said.

People under age 21 often come to hear live music, dance and be with friends, and barring them from businesses that serve alcohol raises the question of where they’ll go instead, said Ed Grant, co-owner of Grant’s Lounge.

“Everybody doesn’t drink, but they want to go out and have fun,” he said.

All young people shouldn’t be punished for problems caused by a few, Grant said. Other towns such as Athens, which has a large college-age population and lively downtown, allows 18-year-olds in bars but strictly and successfully enforces drinking-age laws, he said.

“I think this decision needs to be left up to the club owner,” said Grant, who announced last month he would no longer allow anyone under 21 to enter his nightclub.

Chris Bordelon from Element nightclub on Cherry Street, however, said she backs the proposed law.

“Make no mistake: If a bar owner claims their livelihood is based on the 18- to 20-year-old crowd, there’s a reason,” she said. People under the legal drinking age know there are some bars where they can get away with drinking, Bordelon said.

Having to police drinking among young patrons can keep in-house security too busy to watch for other problems, she said.

Restaurateur Cesare Mammarella said he lives and works downtown, and he often sees 14- to 17-year olds “partying” outside local bars. There should be better enforcement of existing laws, not a new one, he said. Business owners should be more accountable for effectively monitoring their patrons’ ages, Mammarella said.

But Kevin Sharpton, president of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity at Mercer University, and speaking for the Interfraternity Council, said Greek organizations need a place to hold events with alcohol since the campus is dry, and he is against the measure. At a recent event, his fraternity got half of its admission ticket sales -- about $3,000 -- from college students under age 21, Sharpton said. The event was held at an establishment that served alcohol, but the event would not have been successful if those under age 21 were banned from being admitted.

Also opposing the idea is Rick Hill, owner of the new Crazy Bull bar. He’s invested more than $1 million in his business and depends on the 18-to-20 crowd to cover some of the cost of bringing in performers from Nashville, Tennessee, he said. Some of those are even brought by their parents, Hill said. “I’m totally opposed to it,” he said.

While Hill has seen scuffles at his place, the troublemakers haven’t been underage, he said. Now that downtown Macon is finally seeing a resurgence of business, commissioners shouldn’t do anything to harm that, Hill said.

Shepherd said he’ll know more about the ordinance’s likely fate after commissioners debate it next Tuesday. It was previously tabled pending public hearings.

That same day, a second hearing is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. in the commission chamber at the Macon-Bibb County Government Center, 700 Poplar St. The ordinance is expected to come up for a vote at the regular commission meeting Oct. 21.

This story was originally published October 7, 2014 at 8:12 PM with the headline "Plan to ban underage from Macon bars gets tepid reception ."