The Richmond Heights City Council, Monday night (Nov. 16), approved issuance of a liquor license for a comedy club, currently under construction at the St. Louis Galleria.
Helium Comedy Club is scheduled to open before the holidays, City Manager Amy Hamilton told the council.
The nightclub is to be located on the lower level of the shopping mall, in space formerly occupied by Black Finn Restaurant, at 1151 Saint Louis Galleria, near the Clayton Road entrance.
“Helium Comedy Club is a state of the art venue that brings great talent to an intimate theater,” according the club’s website. “For a modest ticket price, patrons can enjoy live comedy from a national headliner performing no more than 60 feet away. The show will last about an hour and forty minutes and will include an opener, a feature, and a headliner with national TV credits. Helium is a non-smoking facility where patrons can enjoy a mix of high quality starters, mouth-watering desserts and a full service bar providing yummy libations in a relaxing atmosphere.”
The Galleria club will be part of a chain already operating in Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Portland, OR. In addition to stand-up comedy performances, the club offers classes for budding comedians and premium event space.
The city approved a conditional use permit and site plan for the club earlier this year, following a January 15 Plan and Zoning Commission hearing.
Also during Monday night’s meeting, City Attorney Kenneth J. Heinz advised the council to monitor efforts by St. Louis County officials to enact uniform standards for all municipal police departments within the county.
County Executive Steve Stenger proposed the new municipal police standards earlier this year and the measure is expected to pass the county council, Heinz noted. However, the proposal has drawn criticism from the St. Louis County Municipal League and municipal officials, who note the county may not have authority to impose standards on local police departments. If enacted, the County police standards will likely face a court challenge, Heinz added.
Richmond Heights and Maplewood police departments both already have international accreditation through CALEA.
Following approval of Proposition U on the city’s November 3 election ballot, the council gave first reading to an ordinance establishing a local use tax. The use tax, set at the same rate as the city’s local sales tax, will apply to purchases from out-of-state vendors totaling more than $2,000 annually.
Proposition V asked voters if they would allow the city to further discontinue collecting sales tax on out-of-state motor vehicle purchases. The city has not collected sales tax on these purchases since 2012, but with Proposition V, this sales tax has now been re-enacted.
The Saint Louis Area Insurance Trust (SLAIT), through which Richmond Heights and 14 other area municipalities obtain employee health and workmen’s compensation coverage, remains in solid financial condition, according to a presentation by Steve Wicker of the insurance and risk management firm, Daniel and Henry, which administers the trust.
Volunteers assisted 10 Richmond Heights residents, age 65 and over, with yard maintenance during the city’s Fall Clean Up event on Nov. 14, Councilwoman Camille Greenwald reported. Twelve to 15 volunteers turned out at both the morning and afternoon work sessions, organized by City Manager Hamilton and city community relations coordinator, Mary Binns. Another clean up event will be held for older adults this spring, Councilwoman Greenwald said.