This Friday, there will be a method to the madness that is Palmer Place Fest.
Renters at Palmer Place Apartments received fliers from Cornwell Properties on Monday morning that stipulated a list of 10 rules for the annual apartment fest.
Officials from Cornwell Properties, which owns the apartment complex, met with local law enforcement and city government officials in order to articulate a list of behavior rules and expectations to prevent property damage and ensure safety for partygoers, Ohio University Police Department Chief Andrew Powers said.
Renters will be forbidden from having more than 40 individuals inside each apartment, and no more than 10 partygoers will be allowed on balconies, according to the flier from Cornwell Properties.
Anyone stepping on the grass courtyard after 5 p.m. will be escorted from the complex by security guards or police officers — who will be able to move freely in and out of the property, according to the flier, which added that Cornwell Properties spent more than $15,000 last summer to repair the courtyard.
The precautions will help Cornwell Properties avoid additional property damage and potential lawsuits, said Kara Cozort, an agent for Cornwell Properties, who added partygoers have threatened lawsuits in the past after being hit by glass bottles, which will be banned on Friday.
Cornwell Properties’ list of rules will be the first of its kind for the fest, Powers said.
Powers said he expected a strict interpretation of these rules by local law enforcement, which will consider entering the property on a “case-to-case basis.”
“Basically, it’s an event where the proprietor of the property has circumscribed some rules around it,” Powers said.
Faced with the threat of removal, Eric Soukup, a freshman studying biological sciences, said he might stay home Friday night.
“I’m debating about whether or not to go for two reasons,” he said. “ (Palmer Place Fest) could be boring, but I wouldn’t put it past a few drunk students to just start a riot. If you limit the amount of what OU students can do, it can end badly.”
sh335311@ohiou.edu
