T

his week, a group of business owners and city leaders met at the St. James Hotel to discuss the future of downtown Selma.

A large portion of the meeting focused on potential rules for the district, which is a wise decision considering recent lawsuits filed against the City of Montgomery.

The lawsuits were filed in relation to a Montgomery nightclub shooting in late December. One claims the city knew about potential dangers of issuing a liquor license at the nightclub, after a shooting occurred at the same location in 2012.

Council President Corey Bowie specifically expressed concern about an alcohol-related lawsuit being filed against Selma without adequate planning.

Some of the rules Bowie proposed include: not carrying glass bottles, a uniform amount of liquor and no alcohol in parking lots.

It’s encouraging to see the city be meticulous about the proposal and not rush to capitalize on an idea. Arts Revive director Martha Lockett said the district could fail without adequate planning and others agreed.

An additional consideration is trash, which was also brought up during the meeting.

Large events in Selma often mean a significant amount of garbage. The well-organized events clean up afterward, but occasionally Selma streets are left looking like a recycling truck just turned over.

Before the entertainment district can be declared a success, trash is a necessary consideration.

Bowie took a proactive step by creating the committee of business owners and we hope the committee will continue to hammer out fine details.