North Huntsville connects for safety
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North Huntsville businesses are getting proactive about safety.
Why it matters: Huntsville is growing, and recent incidents at North Huntsville establishments have trained a spotlight on safety — one 18 local businesses are stepping into with a plan.
Zoom in: North Huntsville Connect is a coalition of local business owners, venue operators and leaders working to improve safety and sustainability in the area's nightlife and entertainment industry.
What they're saying: "For far too long, we've been on the outside and we've allowed individuals to dictate what our nightlife space looks like," said George Mondane, owner of Club Forty7 and Envy.
- "So this group has been created to collaborate together to bring structure to our nightlife in our community," he said.
How it works: The businesses will employ ID scanners to track people who cause issues, and when a patron is banned from one place, they're banned from all North Huntsville Connect businesses.
- "Huntsville's growing ... so everything's getting big-city lifestyle," Marc Patton, owner of 4th Quarter, told Axios. "It's about getting ahead of the curve," he said.
- The group, not limited to bars or nightclubs, aims to create a unified set of safety standards, collaborate instead of compete, partner with the community, protect the industry and promote responsible growth.
Driving the news: North Huntsville's 708 Bar & Grille on Poplar Ave. was ordered closed by a circuit court judge in September, following a lawsuit from the city.
- The city's suit seeks to declare the establishment a public nuisance, citing a May 2023 incident where a woman was run over in the parking lot, and a shooting in May 2024 in which five people were shot, according to Speakin' Out Weekly News.
The bottom line: "At the end of the day, these are business owners, and they want to make sure that their establishments are safe so they can stay in business," said District 1 Council member Michelle Watkins.
- "If you don't keep your business safe, you won't be in business."