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DALTON, Ga. -- A key to attracting young adults to live, work and play in Dalton may lay in how the city crafts its alcohol consumption laws, according to recent data and one council member.
On Tuesday, City Alderwoman Denise Wood proposed a city ordinance that would allow bars and restaurants to issue to-go cups for customers who want to sip and walk in the city's growing downtown.
The ordinance was tabled and didn't come to a vote. It might go too far, she said, but Ms. Wood said the city still has some ground to gain in making Dalton a fun place for the younger crowd to hang out.
"I'm a mom of kids over 21 and they enjoy going to Chattanooga and Atlanta," Ms. Wood said. "We need to figure out how to make Dalton a fun place like that."
On a recent city-business trip to Savannah, Ga., Ms. Wood was struck by the fun atmosphere in that city's downtown. The ordinance she brought Monday was modeled after Savannah's, but that proposed even looser restrictions than Chattanooga, which requires bar and restaurants patrons to leave drinks behind before walking onto city sidewalks.
"We've loosened alcohol ordinances significantly over the last two and a half years," Mayor David Pennington said.
Mr. Pennington said council members thought they were considering a wristband ordinance that would allow public consumption of alcohol at special events. They decided to table the measure while they research how other municipalities handle public alcohol consumption.
He said the council might be willing to consider some loosening of the rules, but stopped short of saying the to-go-cup ordinance was supported.
Among young professionals, enjoying a drink with friends after work ranked high on their list of quality of life issues, according to surveys taken by the Archway Partnership, a University of Georgia program developing a community vision for Dalton and Whitfield County.
"We heard from young professionals that thought having a drink after work at a restaurant would jeopardize their job," said Melissa Lu, the Archway coordinator. "I think their employers would disagree, but that concern was pervasive. We heard it from several people."
Several young people sampled said they spent a significant amount of time on the road traveling to Chattanooga and Atlanta to socialize because of the feeling that they couldn't relax in Dalton.
Ms. Wood said though the issue didn't come for a vote Monday, she didn't consider the issue dead, and she would like to hear public input.
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