news Good Neighbors?
Council May Mediate on Noise, Police Launch Mental Health Initiative By Ryan McGahan
CITY OF GULFPORT
The May 4 Gulfport City Council meeting, the first back at city hall after an extended stay at the Catherine Hickman Theatre, finished in just under 90 minutes Tuesday night. With Mayor Sam Henderson absent, Vice Mayor April Thanos oversaw discussion of noise complaints, a new police initiative and thoughts for improving transportation in Gulfport. Council Plans to Mediate Noise Complaints After weeks of increasing tension between the owners of the North End Taphouse on Beach Boulevard and local residents over the amount of noise coming from bands performing late at night, council has agreed to mediate between the two factions to find a compromise. Two meetings prior, Kelly Wright, co-owner of the Taphouse, spoke before council and asked that they raise the decibel limit of the local noise ordinance, currently set at 65 decibels, so that bands could perform at the bar without incurring a police visit. Two weeks later, seven residents from the nearby area came to the following meeting to ask for the opposite: more restrictions on the volume and time
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at which bands could play, citing loud new partnership with Directions For music easily heard in their homes Living, a nonprofit organization that past 11 p.m. provides affordable counseling to At the most recent meeting, Counthose with mental health issues. cilmember Christine Brown proposed Under the new partnership, patrol a solution to the issue, requesting “a officers who encounter someone moratorium on the violations until we undergoing a mental health episode can get the two sides together” for can use a tablet provided by Direcmediation. tions For Living to instantly start a “I feel like there might be some bad video call with a counselor to help blood going on talk the individual and I’d like to bring “I feel like there might be through their mothe people togeth- some bad blood going ment of crisis. The er and see if we is to provide on and I’d like to bring plan can find a comproone tablet per pomise that works the people together and lice squad, and the for everybody,” see if we can find a com- costs of the tablets she explained. and counselors will promise...” Council agreed, be covered by Diand approved a two-week moratorections For Living, even if the tablet rium, effective Wednesday, May 5, should be damaged or lost. on noise complaints in the area sur “In many of the cases where this rounding the Tap House to give Brown is already being done, the officer time to talk to the concerned parties has been able to leave without and schedule a meeting where they taking the person into protective can discuss their grievances and custody just based on the reliance hopefully reach a compromise. that there will be a follow-up meeting between the person and the Police Chief Announces New provider,” Vincent said. “They’ve Mental Health Initiative already done this as a pilot in Largo and Belleair, next is Gulfport Gulfport Police Chief Rob Vincent and Clearwater. I’ve already tentaspoke before council to announce a tively agreed to do it with them; we
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