ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — Whether alcohol should continue to be allowed at the PZK Civic Center in Robertsdale during events/parties was the main topic of discussion at the Robertsdale City Council meeting Monday night.

Mayor Charles Murphy said in recent months, there has been some damage done to the wood floors from alcohol being spilled when parties are getting out of hand and it’s getting harder to keep the peace.

“In some instances, we have needed three officers to get things under control and we need to get together and try to figure out what to do to keep the building in good shape. Come up with some policy changes maybe,” Murphy said.

Scott Gilbert, Public Works director, said it is taking longer to clean up after parties when alcohol is served and not only are the floors getting damaged, but cleaning up all the trash left behind inside and outside is getting worse too.

“We charge a $250 cleaning fee but it’s not enough now. Even after cleaning, you can still smell the alcohol in the building. Maybe we should increase the deposit to compensate for the extra money we are having to spend. Something needs to be done before any more damage occurs,” Gilbert said.

The PZK has a capacity of 549 people, according to Greg Smith, city engineer, but even with 300 people in there, it’s very crowded, he said.

Rental fees are $400 on the weekends for residents outside city limits and $200 during the week and $300 on weekends for residents inside city limits with a $250 deposit, said Sarah Duncan, who is in charge of rentals for the PZK.

“It’s not every party we have that causes problems. There are many who rent and leave it spotless but it’s the ones who don’t we are concerned with. Our wood floors are getting ruined and we may need to go up on the deposit or either get a cleaning staff and charge additional fees to cover it,” Duncan said.

It was suggested by Murphy that either maybe a secondary deposit be required if alcohol is served and the deposit be paid at least 30 days to two weeks prior to the event or just not allow alcohol at all in the future.

“We will have to figure out a solution and come back to the council with some suggestions at the next meeting,” Murphy said.

Right now, Kendrick said officers are paid $90 for providing security at PZK functions and have one officer per 100 people now. It was suggested that maybe two officers should be on the premises to keep things under control.

Murphy cautioned the council about discriminating against renters and said there were a lot of issues to consider in the matter and would come back to the next meeting with some good recommendations.

In other council business, a motion was passed to surplus 10 city computers that are no longer being used and will be offered to area schools, city employees and charitable organizations.

Greg Smith, city engineer, updated the council on several projects, namely the Rock Creek sewer project, saying it is almost complete with just a few more manhole covers to put in place and should be functioning by the end of the month. Also, the retention pond at Palmer Place has been cleaned and overgrowth and snakes have been cleared out.

Two 100-foot wells for the natural gas lines have been drilled across from the Senior Center and should be in place by November when the rectifier comes in. Smith said the life expectancy is 25 years and trying to preserve the lines the best they can.

Gilbert said the Fairground Road water tank should be back up and working soon since they have been doing maintenance work on it.

Smith said a new city web site is in the works and will be more hands-on and have a new photo gallery for residents to enjoy.

Murphy said the city has also been invited to participate in a free evaluation and improvement workshop by Design Alabama, working through Auburn University to develop improvement plans for municipalities in the state. The workshop will take place in February, 2011 in Prattville.

“I would like for you to think of suggestions for city development and try to think of some positive things for our city to do,” Murphy said. The city profile is due on Nov. 15.

Also, Murphy informed the council about the Coastal Recovery Commission Governor Riley has established to determine how to best use funds coming from the BP oil spill crisis.

“We need input on some long term things that could benefit our state 10 years from now, and to come up with a workable plan for solving business and personal problems. Dealing with infrastructure and utility concerns. We need to have some ideas in place buy Dec. 15th,” Murphy said.