ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Ashwaubenon Performing Arts Center will remain alcohol-free, it was decided during a special meeting between the school and village boards Wednesday night.
School board president Jay Van Laanen tells FOX 11…
“When it was first presented to us it was kind of an idea that we could consider, but what it ultimately came down to is we are on school property.”
The PAC’s advisory committee raised the idea after receiving feedback from visitors about their experience.
“I recognize that those inquiries that I’m hearing may not the same as what the community wants at large. So I wanted to have a joint discussion with community input to hear what people really want,” said PAC executive director Kate Green.
During that discussion, there was a lot of concern about student safety, and everyone who spoke during the meeting was against the idea.
“You can’t drink on school property, you can’t smoke on school property, I think our fear with our department is what are they going to do next,” asked Ashwaubenon Interim Chief of Police Operations Tom Rolling.
Now that a decision has been made, Green tells FOX 11 the PAC’s advisory committee will continue focusing on the success of the facility.
“As we talked about tonight we saw a 43% increase in patron attendance and I think that’s why these topics are coming up. But regardless of the sale of alcohol, we will still have a great venue.”
Most Ashwaubenon Village board members were also against selling alcohol at the PAC. However, the committee didn’t vote and won’t take any further action since the school board has already voted it down.
