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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Workshop - June 8, 2026

City Council — Monday, June 8, 2026

BodyGreenville, North Carolina

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, June 8, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:05:16

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:36

Thanks.

1:37

The council had a closed session item to be heard after item four.

1:42

New business item number three.

1:45

I asked to add that motion to go ahead and private session.

1:48

Yeah, closed session.

1:50

All right, we got a second.

1:52

Second.

1:52

All right.

1:53

Motion's been made of Council Robinson, second by Council Member Scully.

1:56

Are we approving the whole rest of the agenda?

1:58

Yes.

1:59

Okay.

1:59

All those in favor say aye.

2:02

Zero.

2:03

All right, let's move on to new business.

2:04

Item number one.

2:05

Thank you, Mayor.

2:05

I am number one under new business, the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge Review of Deliberals from the fiscal year 2025-26 contract for service.

2:14

And they'll call forward an executive director of the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, Holly Garrett for a presentation.

2:26

All right.

2:26

Well, um, first of all, I want to thank everybody who came last Thursday to our 25th anniversary celebration.

2:37

It was a really special day, and um uh I look forward to um meeting with councilmember Jones and Hardy soon to sort of go into detail about what the Pitt County Arts Council is.

2:52

Um, and so uh want to keep it short today, but just know that I I'm really looking forward to getting a little more into details.

3:02

Um but 25 years, um, we have not been the arts council for 25 years.

3:09

Um we became the Pitt County Arts Council in 2009.

3:12

However, we have been working with the city of Greenville since about 2004 with um different projects.

3:20

Um and the exciting thing about last week was that the city of Greenville was our community arts partner of the year, and um this is uh because of all the partnerships with so many departments within the city of Greenville.

3:37

It's really incredible.

3:39

The um teamwork that we have to bring arts and culture to the forefront when it comes uh to the city, and uh I just thank all of you.

3:50

Um your staff and um this council really understands the value of the arts, um the economic impact of the arts, um, and also with our mission statement.

4:03

Uh our main mission is to enhance the quality of life through the arts.

4:08

And um, you know, I always say the arts are not fluff, it's not an afterthought, it's what brings people to our city uh to live and work, and um it's what brings uh tourists to our city and gives our residents things to do and um and a wonderful place to be.

4:30

Uh so that brief synopsis of of what we do with as the um uh civic arts facilitator and administrator for the city.

4:41

These are just some bullet points.

4:43

Um, but we're really the umbrella organization for what for all the arts and cultural organizations throughout the city, and that includes things that fall under the city of Greenville, like the JC Park Arts and Crafts Center.

4:56

I always like to say that was my first job moving to Greenville.

5:00

I was the pottery coordinator and instructor there, and it has a real special place in my heart.

5:05

And we also later on the grassroots arts project grants.

5:11

We have been a long-time grantor to the for the Sunday in the Park music series along with other programs.

5:20

We also oversee the Pitt County Arts calendar.

5:24

This is the same calendar that Visit Greenville in C uses.

5:28

They talk to each other.

5:30

It's the really the most comprehensive calendar that we have in the city and throughout the county.

5:36

And all of those items are filtered.

5:38

So if they have a cultural or arts component to them, they come on our calendar.

5:44

All of the events go on the Visit Greenville in C calendar.

5:49

In addition to the grassroots arts project grants, which that we dispersed about $56,000 last year to 20 organizations throughout Pitt County.

6:01

A good number of those are in the city of Greenville.

6:05

The artist support grants go to individual artists, and that's performing artists, literary artists, as well as visual artists.

6:15

And in a little bit, I'll talk about the Arts Educators Fund.

6:19

Also Pro Bono, we provide board and staff development to nonprofit arts organizations, and we're also the liaison to the North Carolina Arts Council.

6:30

This has produced major grant funding that we've been able to bring to the city of Greenville, not just through the state, but also through the National Endowment for the Arts.

6:42

We were in our town recipient a number of years ago, which brought the Emerald Loop Project and us becoming a smart city.

6:53

And also during the pandemic, we were awarded a 250,000 grant to help our nonprofit arts organizations through that time.

7:02

So that partnership has been really incredible.

7:05

Right now we're actually working on a some potential grants that could come to the school system for music in schools, and we'll find out a little more about that tomorrow.

7:18

So hopefully we will see the impact of that next school year.

7:23

So with our contract for services, some of the deliverables in addition to those points, we are the main coordinator for the youth arts festival.

7:32

And I think this festival really epitomizes our mission statement.

7:37

And almost every school in Pitt County participates in this.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Parks and Recreation████████████████████████24%

Public Safety█████████████████████21%

Arts And Culture██████████████14%

Public Art█████████9%

Personnel Matters█████████9%

Cannabis Regulation█████5%

Community Engagement█████5%

Procedural████4%

Youth Programs███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Greenville City Council Workshop - June 8, 2026

The Greenville City Council held a workshop on June 8, 2026, at 4:00 PM in City Hall Conference Room 337. The council approved the agenda (with a closed session added after item 3) and then addressed three new business items: a review of the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge's contract deliverables, a discussion on security personnel requirements for alcohol establishments, and an update on the Town Common Bulkhead Construction Project including a potential restaurant. The meeting concluded with a closed session.

Consent Calendar

The agenda was approved unanimously (no vote tally provided, but all present voted aye).
The renewal of the Pitt County Arts Council contract was noted as being placed on the consent agenda for the next meeting.

Discussion Items

1. Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge – Review of Deliverables (2025-26 Contract)

Holly Garrett, Executive Director of the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, presented highlights of the past year's activities and plans for the upcoming year. She emphasized partnerships with the city and other entities.
Key statistics shared:
- $56,000 dispersed last year to 20 organizations through grassroots arts project grants.
- Youth Arts Festival: over 1,000 student performers last year; 5,000 attendees in 2025 (at South Central) and 10,000 attendees in 2024 (at Town Common).
- First Friday Art Walk: started in 2001 with 3 venues, now involves 20–30 organizations; over 800 attended the recent K-12 show at Emerge Gallery.
- Downtown Sculpture Exhibition (Downey): 20 sculptures expanded to the airport and additional city property.
Upcoming initiatives: Emerald Express trolley (city, CVB, and Arts Council jointly funded), intersection murals (implementation delayed two years to avoid road closures), traffic control box wraps, bus shelter wraps, and refinement of public art policies (including hiring a part-time public art coordinator).
Council members expressed appreciation for the partnership. No formal vote was taken on the deliverables; the contract renewal was noted for the consent agenda.

2. Discussion of Security Personnel for Alcohol Establishments

Assistant Director Chante Google presented an update on the ongoing discussion about security personnel requirements for alcohol establishments (bars, microbreweries, micro-distilleries) that provide amplified entertainment after 11:00 PM.
Background: The existing language had a contradiction – a chart required 1 security person for occupancy up to 100, but a note stated “no less than 2.” Council was asked to choose how to fix this.
Staff presented cost estimates: off-duty police officers at $50/hour, private security at approximately $35/hour. For a typical late-night period (11:00 PM to 2:30 AM), a single guard costs $175, two guards $350.
Council discussion:
- Councilmember (likely Robinson) expressed concern that requiring two security personnel could be a financial burden on small businesses (e.g., small breweries with open mic nights or new businesses like Paper Plane). He suggested a minimum of one, with two only required for larger occupancy or outdoor spaces.
- Other council members argued for two personnel citing safety: one person to handle incidents inside and another to cover parking or outdoor areas; incidents often involve fights requiring multiple responders; removing one guard to handle an incident leaves the establishment unprotected.
- The mayor noted that this is part of the cost of doing business and helps protect the establishment’s license and insurance.
Council reached consensus (via thumbs up) to adopt “option two,” which maintains the requirement for a minimum of two security personnel for establishments with amplified entertainment after 11:00 PM. Staff was directed to take this direction back to the Planning and Zoning Board for formal amendment.

3. Update on the Town Common Bulkhead Construction Project

Staff (executive director) provided an update and photos. The project is progressing on schedule and under budget. Completion is still planned for fall 2026.
Key features shown: anchors drilled 40 feet deep, an overlook with trees and picnic tables, enhanced amphitheater loading area, a float dock, and a multi-use path connecting to the South Tar Greenway.
The presentation then shifted to a potential future project on 1.4 acres (zoned downtown commercial in 2021) at the east end of Town Common. Staff proposed developing a small, quaint restaurant or event space using shipping containers, as seen in other cities (example from Wilmington, NC). Three concept designs were presented, all including a second-floor seating area overlooking the river.
Council expressed support for moving forward with community information sessions to gather feedback. Staff will hold meetings in June–August and report back in August or September for a decision on issuing an RFQ.
Councilmember also raised the idea of improving the amphitheater seating area during the current construction to avoid future disruption. Staff noted potential partnerships, but no formal action was taken.
Council gave direction to proceed with information sessions.

Key Outcomes

Security Personnel: Council directed staff to proceed with amending the ordinance to require a minimum of two security personnel for alcohol establishments providing amplified entertainment after 11:00 PM (option two). The change will go through the Planning and Zoning Board for a public hearing.
Town Common Restaurant: Council approved staff to conduct community information sessions on the potential restaurant/event space and to bring back findings in August or September.
Closed Session: Council voted 6-0 to enter closed session to consult with the attorney on attorney-client privileged matters.

Meeting Transcript

Thanks. The council had a closed session item to be heard after item four. New business item number three. I asked to add that motion to go ahead and private session. Yeah, closed session. All right, we got a second. Second. All right. Motion's been made of Council Robinson, second by Council Member Scully. Are we approving the whole rest of the agenda? Yes. Okay. All those in favor say aye. Zero. All right, let's move on to new business. Item number one. Thank you, Mayor. I am number one under new business, the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge Review of Deliberals from the fiscal year 2025-26 contract for service. And they'll call forward an executive director of the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, Holly Garrett for a presentation. All right. Well, um, first of all, I want to thank everybody who came last Thursday to our 25th anniversary celebration. It was a really special day, and um uh I look forward to um meeting with councilmember Jones and Hardy soon to sort of go into detail about what the Pitt County Arts Council is. Um, and so uh want to keep it short today, but just know that I I'm really looking forward to getting a little more into details. Um but 25 years, um, we have not been the arts council for 25 years. Um we became the Pitt County Arts Council in 2009. However, we have been working with the city of Greenville since about 2004 with um different projects. Um and the exciting thing about last week was that the city of Greenville was our community arts partner of the year, and um this is uh because of all the partnerships with so many departments within the city of Greenville. It's really incredible. The um teamwork that we have to bring arts and culture to the forefront when it comes uh to the city, and uh I just thank all of you. Um your staff and um this council really understands the value of the arts, um the economic impact of the arts, um, and also with our mission statement. Uh our main mission is to enhance the quality of life through the arts. And um, you know, I always say the arts are not fluff, it's not an afterthought, it's what brings people to our city uh to live and work, and um it's what brings uh tourists to our city and gives our residents things to do and um and a wonderful place to be. Uh so that brief synopsis of of what we do with as the um uh civic arts facilitator and administrator for the city. These are just some bullet points. Um, but we're really the umbrella organization for what for all the arts and cultural organizations throughout the city, and that includes things that fall under the city of Greenville, like the JC Park Arts and Crafts Center. I always like to say that was my first job moving to Greenville. I was the pottery coordinator and instructor there, and it has a real special place in my heart. And we also later on the grassroots arts project grants. We have been a long-time grantor to the for the Sunday in the Park music series along with other programs. We also oversee the Pitt County Arts calendar. This is the same calendar that Visit Greenville in C uses. They talk to each other. It's the really the most comprehensive calendar that we have in the city and throughout the county. And all of those items are filtered. So if they have a cultural or arts component to them, they come on our calendar. All of the events go on the Visit Greenville in C calendar. In addition to the grassroots arts project grants, which that we dispersed about $56,000 last year to 20 organizations throughout Pitt County. A good number of those are in the city of Greenville. The artist support grants go to individual artists, and that's performing artists, literary artists, as well as visual artists. And in a little bit, I'll talk about the Arts Educators Fund.

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