Divided St. Charles Council Advances Late-September Festival

Municipal officials often are faced with trying to strike a balance between making decisions within the framework of a system intended to maintain order and knowing when to break from that framework out of compassion for a noble cause.

It was pretty clear the St. Charles City Council, meeting Monday night as the Government Services Committee, struggled to find that balance as it offered a compromise on a small, three-day festival in late September intended as a fundraiser to support finding a cure for autism. But it was a tough call, which was reflected in the committee’s 5-3 vote.

It remans to be seen whether the festival will receive final approval when it comes up for final approval before the full City Council, which meets next on Tuesday, Sept. 4. The meeting was bumped to Tuesday because of the Labor Day holiday.

Procedure was at the heart of the disagreement. There were other concerns, but as 4th Ward Alderman Jim Martin pointed out, they might have been resolved early on — had the applicant simply followed the procedure for licensing a festival.

By city ordinance, officials said, applications to hold a festival — which requires a Class E liquor license for outdoors sale of alcoholic beverages and an amplification permit for live music outdoors — should be filed 90 days before the event.

Procedural Issue

River Rock House, formerly Chord on Blues, filed its application on July 30 — less than two months before the event. The item came before the City Council’s Government Services Committee on Aug. 27. The festival would be held Friday, Sept. 28, through Sunday, Sept. 30, in the parking lot at 2nd Avenue and Walnut Street, directly behind River Rock House. Local vendors are expected to offer food, a petting zoo is planned, and a stage at Illinois and 2nd avenues for outdoor performances by local bands from 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. The committee later would curtail those hours.

The late filing of the application, aldermen complained, left little time to identify and to head off potential problems beforehand.

Martin and fellow 4th Ward Alderwoman Jo Krieger, for example, cited concerns about the impact the noise from the bands would have on the adjacent residential neighborhood. Krieger expressed further concern that the start of the festival might conflict with the St. Charles East High School homecoming parade along Riverside Avenue. They both favored moving the festival music indoors.

Martin later would call on the committee several times to deny the application. “I and my neighbors don’t want that noise in the neighborhood,” he said. Krieger suggested allowing an indoor-only festival.

Mother Makes Impassioned Plea

But Geoff Sandz, who is working to promote the event with River Rock House and Sara Turner, the St. Charles mother of a child with autism, said an indoor-only venue would make the event an ineffective fundraiser for TACA — for Talk About Curing Autism, a national nonprofit that provides education and support for families affected by autism.

Turner, responding to what by now seemed like the inevitable defeat of the festival, made an impassioned plea for the cause.

“This is a smaller festival than any other festival in St. Charles, and there are no street closures,” Turner said. “It costs between $5 million and $7 million per child over a lifetime to raise a child with autism.

“These (proceeds) go straight to TACA — TACA is about curing autism,” she continued. “I know St. Charles values its children … autism affects the school system. TACA helped me, I want to help back.”

“This is not an issue of autism,” Martin responded. “This is an issue of a business wanting to hold an event without following the rules … assuming the city will roll over and give them anything.”

While others on the committee clearly agreed with Martin’s summation, it also was clear that Turner’s appeal had had an impact.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Third Ward Alderman Raymond Rogina said the council was caught between a rock and a hard place on the request, because “autism, great cause … Yet we need to follow the ordinances.”

But 1st Ward Alderman Dan Stellato, the committee chairman, noted he would support the festival application, saying his family has been touched by autism and that “this council always has been supportive of good causes.”

Even as he spoke in support of the festival, it was clear Stellato, too, struggled with the idea of preserving the integrity of the procedures set forth in the ordinance and his desire to show compassion.

His remarks prompted 2nd Ward Alderman Cliff Carrignan to likewise acknowledge a special needs family member and his difficulty in trying to reconcile the ordinance’s requirements for a 90-day application process and a first-time attempt by this particular group to raise funds via a festival.

Ultimately, it was Carrignan who offered a compromise that would win a majority vote, as well as a request to city staff to forestall this type of conflict from arising again.

“From this point forward,” he told city staff, “if it’s under 90 days, don’t bring it to us. I’m not interested in looking at it.”

The Compromise

Carrignan then suggested approving the Class E liquor license and sound amplification permit for the the event with the following conditions:

The event cannot begin until 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, in deference to the high school homecoming activities, unless the police department gives approval to set up earlier once the students have cleared the area.

Outdoor music must end by 10 p.m. on Friday, and be allowed from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, outdoor music would be allowed from noon to 8 p.m.

The River Rock House Fest would split the cost of increased police patrols with the city. Chief James Lamkin said the total cost was nearly $5,058.

Carrignan’s proposed compromise was supported 5-3, which sends the issue to the full City Council with a recommendation to approve the festival.

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