BATESVILLE, Ark. (KAIT) – The city of Batesville will have an entertainment district. That means folks get to walk around downtown with alcohol.
This brought a mixed response at Tuesday’s city council meeting, with some saying alcohol will be destructive to the community.
Mandi Curtwright, the executive director for Mainstreet Batesville, says it’ll help businesses grow.
“If anybody is going to abuse alcohol, it’s going to be in their home. The entertainment district is going to be in a public setting, so it’ll be more of a social gathering type thing,” said Curtwright.
Mayor Rick Elumbaugh says he visited Mountain Home, which also has a district. They say reports have gone down on alcohol-related crimes.
You can have alcohol from 4:30 p.m. until midnight from Sunday until Friday and from 10 a.m. until midnight on Saturday.
Beverages must be inside an entertainment district cup. From there, you can walk around from State Street to College Avenue, Central, Broad, 3rd, 4th, Harrison, and Boswell Streets.
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