This story was updated at 3:34 p.m. to add that Emily O'Donnell is a city attorney.
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The Beer & Wrecker Board voted Thursday on several security and training requirements that it would like to see added to a proposed mediation agreement to settle a months-long dispute with a downtown nightclub.
In a 5-0 vote, the board approved some modifications to a tentative mediation agreement with the Blue Light, which has been cited for numerous violations since opening in August of 2021. The club is located inside the Chattanooga Choo Choo on Station Street.
The original settlement agreement stemming from the club's appeal of six Beer Board violations was rejected by the board, at its July 21 meeting. Several members said at the time that the agreement didn't go far enough.
Both sides will need to meet and discuss the latest recommendation. If both sides agree, it will need to be approved by the Beer Board and the city, which indicated in July that it would go with the Beer Board's decision.
In November, the nightclub was cited for several incidents that were alleged to have occured in the weeks before, including two on Oct. 31. They include failure to report a disorder, failure to use its landline to report an incident, selling alcohol off premises, allowing an employee to be intoxicated inside the bar and operating a disorderly place.
The venue appealed the November Beer Board decisions, which included revocation of the club's beer permit, and Chancery Court Judge Jeffrey Atherton stayed the November citations pending the appeal process. The venue has been operating as normal since.
After rejecting the mediation settlement in July, the board heard another case involving the club at its Aug. 4 meeting and voted not to sustain an alleged incident on Jan. 22.
On Thursday, Board member Ron Smith joined Vince Butler, Cynthia Coleman, Dan Mayfield, and Chair Monica Kinsey in voting for the suggestions to be presented at a potential new mediation hearing. That hearing would be held before the case is scheduled to go back to Atherton's Chancery Court on Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
Member Tara Viland, who works for Chattanooga Choo Choo landlord Second Story Properties, recused herself during the vote.
Smith said before the vote that he felt the original proposal was a slap in the face, and while Butler agreed, he said the idea of Atherton dismissing the citations altogether was more troubling.
Beer Board Beer Inspector Sgt. Jason Woods told the board if the agreement was reached he would be working with the club to come up with a safety plan and Emily O'Donnell, a city attorney, confirmed for members that both sides would have to negotiate and agree on the plan and that failure to reach an agreement would void the agreement.
She also said the city is working on a broader safety plan for Station Street as a whole.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com