Riverside to poll on WHATFest

Riverside Town Council convened at 6 p.m. on Thursday to consider creating a poll for town residents on their opinion of the summer music event known as WHATFest. The Riverside Party Day preparations were also reviewed.

The council approved the financials for the month of July.

For Riverside Party Day, Jan Cook, town clerk, said mosquito fogging will happen for the last time a week before Riverside Party Day. Cook told the council everything was in order for the event being held August 19 from 4-7 p.m.

The town approved the purchase of two safety barricades from Rob Martin not to exceed $80.

Mayor Leroy Stephenson and Cook will take charge of the Local Update of Census Address Program (LUCA) to find out the town’s current residing population. Both believed the town had grown and would use a map the U.S. Census Bureau was sending to qualify all the resident’s addresses.

Stephenson said he had received a few complaints from citizens about Whatfest, which was held July 28 and 29. He approached the council about doing a poll to ask residents living in town to find out their opinion on the event.

“I would like to send out a questionnaire to see how the town feels,” said Stephenson. “The complaints are about parking, people camping in their cars and doing things in people’s yards that they would not do in their own yards.”

Stephenson said although there are complaints, he has had residents also give positive comments about WHATFest. The poll would give an actual count of where the town stood on the issue.

The council agreed with Stephenson and Cook said she would make up the questionnaire for the council to look by the next meeting.

The council approved the Freisburg building permit for a structure of 340 square feet.

Liquor license revisions were tabled because two council members were not present.

American Transparency, based out of Boca Raton, Florida, has requested public records. The organization has approached several local boards and town councils, but their motives are not clear. The council will ask the town attorney to help the town write an ordinance for public records request.

The Sun sent an email to clarify exactly what info American Transparency wanted from the contacted boards and councils a month ago. No reply was received.

The next scheduled Riverside Town Council is 6 p.m. September 14 at the town hall.