Published: July 02, 2009 01:04 am      

LOCKPORT: City beefs up concert security; Ulrich City Centre to pay tab

Ulrich City Centre will pay the tab for two additional, uniformed city police officers to provide additional security on Friday nights during the 2009 Canal Concert Series.

The Common Council on Wednesday approved an amendment to the city’s agreement with City Centre and Canal Concert Series Inc., authorizing the stationing of two uniformed officers at the arched, Main Street entrance to the City Centre courtyard, from 10:30 p.m. Fridays to 2:30 a.m. Saturdays.

The officers are in addition to the complement the city already dispatches on concert nights, per its contractual contribution to the concert series. The hourly wages of the two are to be paid by Ulrich City Centre.

The arrangement came after a Tuesday meeting of City Centre owner David Ulrich, Police Chief Larry Eggert and members of Mayor Michael Tucker’s administrative team.

This past Friday, as Rusted Root’s performance was ending, a fight broke out between concert-goers in the courtyard near Main Street, and officers closer to the center of the courtyard could not get to it quickly due to crowding from the center to the archway, City Attorney John Ottaviano said.

The incident prompted the observation that it would be better to have some policing nearer the archway, which typically is packed with people during and after the concerts. The city didn’t want to redirect any of the existing police complement from other parts of the courtyard, however, Ottaviano said; nor was it willing to add officers and cost to the complement on its own. The contract actually has the city “leasing” the courtyard — and thus taking responsibility for it — from 8 a.m. Friday to 2:30 a.m. Saturday throughout the concert season.

Mayor Michael Tucker agreed there’s a need for additional policing of the arched entrance to the courtyard. Taboo nightclub is immediately east of it, and the city has a gripe with patrons who take their glass beverage containers outside and stroll Main Street.

“We can’t have that going on. (The officers) are going to put a stop to it,” he said.

According to the amended contract, Ulrich City Centre will reimburse the city up to $43.78 per hour, per man, for the four hours officers are stationed at the courtyard every week. Reimbursement is to be made every two weeks, in accordance with the city payroll.