WILMINGTON (AP) -- The city of Wilmington wants to team with bar owners to clean up the downtown area as well as make it safer.
The two sides are meeting again today.
During a previous meeting March 1, city officials, bar owners, downtown advocacy groups, and interested parties discussed code enforcement and ways that bar owners can better cooperate with the city.
The city wants bars to give police officers better access to their establishments, tighter enforcement of their serving and identification policies, and stricter clean-up codes.
In return, the city said it wants to enhance streetscapes, provide better lighting and install hose connections so owners can more easily keep nearby sidewalks and alleys clean.
City officials hope to use the meeting to determine actions that the city and bar owners can take to improve downtown, which often deteriorates into chaos after the bars close.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
