Cheers! Beer Garden Added to Lineup for Bottle Hill Day

The phrase “Bottle Hill Day” took on new meaning after the Borough Council approved the addition of a beer garden to Madison’s annual town street fair at its scheduled meeting Monday night.

The garden, to be located on Lincoln Place, was proposed by the Downtown Development Commission as a way to raise additional revenue and expand the October festival.

Commissioner Steve Whitehorn, stumping for the beer garden before the governing body at , ticked off a list of the many municipal improvements the privately-funded DDC has underwritten, including new parking signs, Lincoln Place island plantings, Drew University tours, and, in October, new alleyway signs, among others.

“The DDC raises private dollars throughout the year to pay for these projects,” Whitehorn said. “Bottle Hill Day brings in 20,000 people to the borough to have a good time and spend their money. It helps to improve the quality of everything that’s going on and the type of place where people want to live.

“The beer garden will expand what we have, and gives us another opportunity to raise money.”

In response to questions raised at the last Council meeting, Whitehorn distributed a security plan to assuage members’ concerns. The DDC has been working with a recently-retired Madison police officer on security.

Each person that enters the beer garden will receive a wristband once they have been checked for proper age ID. Beer will be the only alcoholic beverage served, and garden-goers can purchase a maximum of three $5 tickets redeemable for one 16-oz. (actually 14 oz. poured) beer each. To help control foot traffic, there will be one entrance and exit. Six volunteers per shift will staff the garden: two to check IDs, two to sell tickets, and two to pour beers. Drinking will not be permitted outside the serving area.

“Any ornery or overserved person will be removed, we have had a conversation with the and they said they would assist with this,” Whitehorn said.

Whitehorn, an insurance executive, said that the 501(c)3 non-profit Madison Main Street Foundation is in the process of procuring appropriate insurance, just in case.

In response to a question from Council member Jeannie Tsukamoto, Whitehorn said the DDC expects 1000 visitors to the beer garden to generate $3,000 to $5,000, or a net of about $2,500. That’s short of the $18,000 raised through Bottle Hill Day as a whole, the DDC’s largest annual fundraiser. “The main idea is not to raise a lot of money,” he said. “It is to make sure it is an appropriate venue and that people enjoy themselves. It’s an opportunity to try something new.”

Whitehorn said that members of the DDC — and Madison Police Chief John Trevena — have spoken with other towns hosting beer gardens and have found no problems. The additional insurance would indemnify the town, said borough attorney Joseph Mezzacca, Jr.

Business Administrator Jim Burnet and Chief Financial Officer Robert Kalafut after speaking with borough carrier Joint Insurance Fund said that comparisons with a beer garden run by Florham Park likely means the borough won’t need to purchase extra coverage. “The DDC has added an extra layer of coverage,” Burnet said.

Councilman Robert Conley asked that the beer truck supplying the suds be parked in an unobtrusive spot, away from Waverly Place. Mike Kopas of the Planning Board told the Council that borough businesses plan to donate palm trees and other landscaping supplies, for best aesthetic effect. “It’s not a corral,” he said. “It’s an outdoor dining/festival area.”

The plans failed to sway Councilman Sam Cerciello.

“It’s like an accident waiting to happen,” said Cerciello, who once owned a tavern. “There’s always some jerk in the crowd.” He added borough businesses should be promoted, “if a person wants a beer.”

“People are excited about the prospect [of a garden], said Mayor Mary-Anna Holden. “We have to have a balance, and think it through, talk to other towns who have done it. It’s the 30th anniversary of the DDC, so it’s a special day. It will bring a lot of activity and keep people longer downtown.”

Counclman Robert Catalanello suggested charging $1 per bracelet, and stamping peoples’ hands, to prevent enterprising types from re-entering.

In the end the Council adopted the resolution, 5-1, with Cerciello dissenting.