City of Lavonia Looking Into Curbing Block Parties in Springview Heights

The City of Lavonia is looking into putting signage in the Springview Heights neighborhood banning block parties.

At the City Council meeting Monday evening, the Council and Mayor Courtney Umbehant heard from Linda Barnes, a longtime resident of the Springview Heights community.

Barnes said there is a growing problem of people holding block parties in the historic neighborhood without getting permits from the City or approval from residents.

And she said it’s become a safety issue.

At the City Council meeting, she asked that the city put up signs banning block parties in the community.

Barnes said right now, people hosting block parties will say they didn’t know they were prohibited, but she said signs will give them no excuse.

According to Barnes, block parties in Springview Heights typically have hundreds of people attending who come from all over, and that also creates a safety issue.

According to the Mayor, one issue that the City has had with block parties is that they typically are held on private property.

However, if any event takes place on City property, such as at Springview Park, the people putting on the party would have to apply for a permit.

Umbehant asked City Attorney Jay Doss what the city could do if the party is on someone’s property.

After hearing from Barnes, Mayor Umbehant asked Doss to research the issue of block parties and signage.

He also asked Lavonia Assistant Police Chief Daniel Carson to look at statistics from past block parties in Springview Heights.

Umbehant said that the type of signage they put up in Springview Heights will depend on the information gathered by Doss and Carson.