New Year’s Eve celebrations on Nome’s Front Street will be fairly quiet this year if the Nome Common Council decides to keep bars closed to on-site service until 2021. The council debates a new emergency ordinance during tonight’s regular meeting that would keep those establishments limited to take-out service only until January 4th, 2021.
The council voted on November 25th to suspend all dine-in alcohol consumption at Nome establishments to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the city. That order expired midnight last night [DEC 13]. Tonight’s focus is specifically on alcohol sales. City Manager, Glenn Steckman, can limit dine-in restaurant service without approval from the council, but regulations on the sale of alcohol must be decided by council vote.
Restaurants are limited to take-out or delivery only service until at least December 21st.
Along with that vote will come discussions on how to help those employees and affected business owners. The Nome Common Council will hear a resolution doling out CARES Act funding to food and beverage workers who have been largely unable to work. The proposed plan could have full-time workers receiving up to $600 a week to assist with lost revenue while dine-in service remains closed.
The council will also consider giving $60,000 in CARES Act funding to Nome Public Schools for additional homeschooling staff for the Extensions Correspondence Program and plexiglass partitions in the elementary school cafeteria. Also on the agenda is a resolution approving $100,000 in Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation’s Community Benefits Share to go towards upgrading city streetlights.
The Nome Common Council meets at City Hall at 7pm tonight.
Image at top: Businesses on Nome’s Front Street, including the Anchor Tavern, Husky, Golden China, and Maruskiya’s gift shop. Photo: David Dodman; used with permission.
