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In a move usually reserved for extreme situations such as hurricanes or floods, Surfside Beach leaders on Tuesday night enacted an emergency ordinance to stop two aerialists from swinging on silk ropes under the new town pier.

The town council said that Anna Freitag and her friend Blue doing aerial stunts and exercises while hanging over the sand from the pier created a liability hazard for the town.

The emergency ordinance will remain in place for 60 days until the council can pass a regular ordinance regulating the practice. By going the emergency ordinance route, the council could enforce the restrictions with just one reading instead of the necessary usual two readings and public hearing.

The subject is one of three items listed for a council workshop on Thursday, Feb. 13.

The two women have been using the pier for their exercises since the fall. When pier workers complained about their activity, town officials realized there was no actual town law that would prohibit it.

Council member Harry Kohlmann said if someone, especially someone other than the two women, should get hurt, they would sue the town for being liable.

鈥淭his could lead to a slippery slope of people doing even more dangerous things,鈥� he said.

Council member Chris Stamey said while it would be beautiful to watch, allowing it would set a precedent for greater liability.

The emergency ordinance says only items attached to the pier by the town would be legal. The town has plans to hang swings under the pier for public use.

Reed Samtmann told the council that having the aerialists at the pier is a great draw to get more people to the pier.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to ban aerialists but going to allow swings under it,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ake it make sense. We want business on the pier. We have to make up that $21 million somehow.鈥�

Freitag asked the council how many times an ambulance had been called to the pier because of an accident with them.

鈥淲hat constitutes an emergency for this ordinance,鈥� she asked. 鈥淎 survey went out before the pier was finished and people said they wanted something unique on the pier. Where do we draw the line on what we restrict in town?鈥�

Council member Shawn Fallon said the aerialists could pose a liability for the town if someone got hurt or the pier was damaged.

鈥淭he town鈥檚 swings have been studied by an engineer,鈥� she said.

Mayor Robert Krouse said he would reserve his comments on the matter until Thursday鈥檚 workshop.

The 60-day emergency ordinance passed 7-0.

After the vote, Freitag said she was disappointed in the decision.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of hypocrisy with this,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to stop us but they鈥檙e going to put their own swings hanging from the bottom of the pier.鈥�

Cheers!

The council also passed a resolution that would allow kiosks on the pier to sell alcohol.

Pier committee chairman Dusty McCracken said five kiosks have been approved to set up shop on the pier and two have indicated they would like to sell alcohol.

Currently, the two restaurants that will open this spring are allowed to sell it.

Krouse said the town would derive financial benefits from alcohol sales.

Council member Skip Walls said a number of residents he had spoken with did not want the alcohol and wanted the council to remember the town is known as 鈥渇amily beach.鈥�

Kohlmann said he wanted to remind everyone that on the old pier, the beach shop sold alcohol.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see a problem with an adult drinking responsibly,鈥� he said.

Fallon said she had been to the Garden City pier that has two bars and had never seen anyone get rowdy or cause problems.

As to liability issues that were brought up about alcohol sales, contrary to the arguments used to ban the aerialists, Fallon said the town 鈥渃an鈥檛 worry about what might happen.鈥�

The resolution passed 5-2 with council members Stamey and LaVerne Kreklau voting against it.

Thursday workshop

The town council plans to hold a workshop Thursday afternoon to deal with pier regulations, derelict vehicles and proposed fire fees that the fire department could collect for fighting structure fires and handling vehicle fires and accidents.

The workshop is slated for 1 p.m. in the council chambers.