At the October 27 study session, the council discussed a proposed policy that would expand our current policy allowing alcohol consumption, with approved permit on specific public property in specific situations. The goal is to expand the use of our parks by allowing a wider variety of events to take place.
There is some misinformation going around, so I need to clarify a few points so you understand exactly what is being proposed:
1) The policy would only allow consumption in three public areas: Rotary Park, North Park and the airport.
2) Permits would be awarded on a case-by-case basis. A person or group would have to submit a proposal for a specific event for council review and approval.
3) A number of restrictions and guidelines are built into the ordinance – a roped off section for consumption, designated entrances/exits and appropriate security, and ID checks, among other things.
The genesis of this ordinance was a series of requests from three different entities, based on events they wanted to hold. The organizers of the airshow this year wanted to host a dinner function with drinks for the contributors to the airshow in the then city-owned hangar. Some representatives from the Kirksville Rotary Club wanted to see greater usage of the new amphitheater in the park – for wedding receptions to be able to do a champagne toast, for example. And Steve Bell asked to be able to have beer sales available for out-of-town adult tournament games, like they do at other cities, citing a lack of alcohol as the reason why we cannot host these events now.
I have received relatively little feedback regarding these policies, and little of that has been negative. A few residents have spoken with me who are completely against it. But the majority of the others are either for it or take a more balanced view. Many have told me that they would not like to see unrestricted alcohol consumption in the park, but that these restrictions seem appropriate and acceptable.
I’ll let you judge for yourself. Below is a document with more information, including the complete text of the proposed ordinance. Please read it and let me know what you think. I really need your feedback on this!
Tags: airport, alcohol, consumption, North Park, ordinance, Permits, policy, rotary, Rotary Park, study session
Todd,
Thank you for providing this opportunity for citizens to be informed and a venue for feedback. I am in favor of the alcohol at the three specified city parks/airport so long as it is controlled and permitted specifically for each event. But, I am still not convinced about alcohol at the adult softball tournaments at North Park only because I think a lot of families attend these events, and as a former umpire I sure don’t want the ballplayers the ones getting buzzed or drunk. And then getting on our roads and streets. Sue
@Sue Limestall:
Thank you for your comments. I’ve heard similar concerns from another umpire, although he also told me that many players (he believes) show up already drunk to the games. They’re chugging out in the car, or coming in beforehand, and there are problems with them. Do you think that these ordinances might allow us to better control this type of behavior? The idea being that, if you put a system like this in place and regulate it, then you can control what was previously out of our control?
The short answer to this is simply “no.” I think that allowing the consumption of alcohol at the ballpark will not allow any more control and only give the image that it is OK to be drunk at these games. If one tenth of the stories I have heard are true, the problem is that players are not held accountable for their actions. If someone was irresponsible with an unregistered firearm, I would not give them a registered one thinking that now he will be fine with it. If the men and women who play in the tournaments can prove that they can act responsibly then maybe I would begin to think about allowing alcohol to be consumed. Would you want to umpire a game where someone with a large piece club could be under the influence? If this gets passed good luck finding good umpires.
I can understand some of the other locations and their reasoning. Toasts at weddings and banquets are a fine time to have a responsible amount.
In short, try to regulate it all you want, but until some of the more unruly ballplayers shape up, I don’t think it should be allowed.