By Shereen Siewert
Plans by Whitewater Music Hall in downtown Wausau to add an outdoor beer garden received preliminary approval Monday by members of the Public Health and Safety Committee.
The proposal, submitted by co-owner Kelly Ballard, includes outdoor table seating in the south parking lot at the music hall and the front sidewalk of the main west entrance.
The parking lot will be closed to traffic at the southwest corner of the building, and staff would use natural barriers to control access to the beer garden.
The space is bounded by the building to the north, a guard rail and train tracks to the west/southwest and a tall retaining wall to the east.
If approved by the full council, Whitewater will offer service hours during daylight only, from noon until about 9 p.m. at the peak of summer.
Tables will be placed with a minimum six-foot radius to ensure social distancing requirements are adhered to, the proposal states.
During Monday’s meeting, Public Health and Safety Committee Chair Lisa Rasmussen said Whitewater also intends to host “low key” music events in the outdoor space.
Whitewater Music Hall, 130 N. First St., opened in May and is the former site of Wausau’s Masonic Lodge.
