Peru council can grant special uses for outdoor music that go beyond ordinance

The Peru City Council has the ability to grant special use permits for outdoor music venues, including setting its own case-by-case guidelines on how late and how loud the music can be, City Attorney Scott Schweickert told aldermen Monday.

Schweickert answered a request from the council to research the city’s ordinances as it pertains to outdoor music events. Earlier this month, Riverfront Bar and Grill at 1525 Water St. asked if it can extend live outdoor music hours an hour later than the 10 p.m. ordinance and increase the decibel level from the ordinance-required 65 decibels to 85 decibels.

City officials visited with Riverfront to suggest sound barriers to help prevent the noise from being heard on the bluff and direct it toward the Illinois River. Riverfront is hosting concerts under a tin roof with four posts, providing little to no sound control, the council was told.

Alderman Mike Sapienza said he would like Riverfront to try to do what it can first to reduce the decibel level, before the council intervenes with a special use permit grant.

City staff said they would work on putting together forms for businesses to fill out with specific questions pertaining to what aldermen will want to know prior to granting any special use permits. Schweickert also said he would seek to update the ordinance regarding special use permits to bring clarity to the process.

Aldermen expressed the desire to have final say over each permit. They also said they’d perhaps put a limit on how many can be requested, but there was uncertainty on what that would be just yet.