Board of Education approves alcohol sales at The Rockwell

Posted By: David Fortier March 18, 2024

By David Fortier

The Board of Education at its regular meeting earlier this month approved alcohol sales at the Rockwell Theater, completing the final step in a process allowing the sale and possession of alcohol at Downtown Live events.

In other business, the board approved and sent its budget to the Finance Board for consideration. In what has been touted by the mayor as a tough budget year, the board is seeking a 4.13 percent increase, but a fair one according to board chairman Dante Tagariello.

The board also accepted a sizeable donation from a local donor to begin construction on a press box at Bristol Central High School’s football field.

“This is a shining moment for us to pass a policy that will show that we have a strong partnership with the city,” said Board of Education chair Tagariello about the decision to allow the possession and sale of alcohol in The Rockwell which abuts the Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School on Veterans Memorial Boulevard. “We want to showcase what is a crown jewel.”

The possession and sales of alcohol at events sponsored by Downtown Live, which operates under the auspices of Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services’ Arts and Culture Commission, has been through a long process that until January appeared to be tied up in the Ordinance Commission.

In January, things moved fairly quickly after the issue was brought forward for public hearings and then a revision to a current ordinance was revised at the committee level allowing the possession and sales

The revised ordinance was approved by the city council. From there, the next step was for the Board of Education to address the issue, since the theater is on school property.

The Board of Education Policy Committee took up the issue at its Policy Committee meeting in late February, where a policy was adopted. At that meeting, optional language prohibiting anyone under the age of 18 to attend events where alcohol was allowed was considered but rejected.

At the regular Board of Education’s March meeting the policy passed unanimously.

The board also passed its fiscal year 2025 budget request of $132,232,602, which reflects a 4.13 percent increase over last year. The proposed budget will come before the Board of Finance before it is finalized.

“I know, the city has already asked myself and the superintendent to look at what just would be if we had only funded our contractual increases, but there is a lot that comes with a school district that is not just salary and wages,” Tagariello said.

Increases to the general fund include those for bilingual tutors, $124,027, theater activities, $99,358, and athletics, $296,671. The later costs address issues relating to a change in the collection of admission fees to sports events that was instituted earlier this year.

There is a separate line item for the addition of 12.5 kindergarten teachers at just over $1 million, which addresses diversity planning.

“We can be proud of the fact that we are asking for a responsible amount,” Tagariello said. “We are asking for an amount that anyone would expect.”

The board also accepted a $50,000 donation from the David Greenleaf Community Support Fund, administered through the Main Street Community Foundation, that would go to the construction of a press box at the football field at Bristol Central High School. Bristol Eastern already has a press box of its own.

Next steps for the construction of the press box would include further pursuing plans and final costs before coming back to the Board of Education.

In addition, the board approved a draft plan for increasing diversity to meet a deadline with the state and is looking for a waiver from the state to manage a discrepancy for contracted school days after a flooding issue on Jan. 10 that closed several schools and left others open.

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