PENDER COUNTY — After nearby municipalities began allowing alcohol outdoors in parks for large events, Pender County commissioners heard from staff this week about potentially amending its laws to follow suit and potentially gaining more revenue.
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Presenter Zach White from Pender’s Parks and Recreation Department explained the change was an attempt to keep up with the towns of Surf City and Burgaw, which have their own allowances for alcohol at special events.
“We have framed the draft policy and the ordinance that we have kind of based on surrounding counties and local governments to see what has worked well for them and what hasn’t,” White said.
However, the ordinance was voted down at Monday’s county commissioners meeting. In a four-to-one vote, the Pender County Board of Commissioners denied a change to park ordinance Sec. 28-30 titled “Alcohol beverages and narcotic drugs.” The change would have allowed beer, wine, and champagne to be sold, bought, and consumed in designated outdoor special event spaces and parks.
“When it comes to the vote, I’m just letting you know that I cannot support this,” Vice Chair Ken Smith said at the Jan. 6 meeting, but did not explain why.
He then followed up by making a motion to deny the consideration, seconded by Commissioner Jerry Groves. Commissioner Brent Springer and Chair Randy Burton voted in agreement. Brad George was the only opposing vote.
There was no discussion preceding the vote, but Groves told Port City Daily in a phone call that he doesn’t want kids being around alcohol and parents driving after drinking: “That is the bottom line.”
George thought the county was missing out on “a great opportunity” by voting the policy down, he said to PCD Tuesday.
“ We had the opportunity to bring a college Wood Bat League to Pender County,” he said.
George explained, traditionally, part of the Wood Bat League setting up in various towns is having a beer tent on site. Wood Bat is a baseball league for southeastern North Carolina that separates teams based on age and skill, similar to the Wilmington Sharks baseball league.
“ People are bringing alcoholic beverages in and it’s really hard to monitor,” George said. “ It’s a better chance to control it than what we have now.”
The league was on the agenda to be discussed later in the meeting, but White requested on behalf of the league’s CEO Alec Aldridge it be tabled for a later date after the alcohol ordinance was denied.
Burton told PCD the Wood Bat League was the reason the amendment was put forth. He voted against it because the revenue being made from the events wouldn’t be shared with the county.
The Parks and Rec Department currently charges a daily vendor fee for vendors at special events, and the amendment would have added an alcohol fee as well, which the proposal detailed as a new source of revenue. However, the agenda packet did not include the cost of the permit, or the price of the alcohol fee.
PCD asked Pender County if the costs of the permit and fee had been decided prior to the proposal. This piece will be updated with their response.
The current ordinance prohibits any alcoholic beverage, including beer and wine, in all county-owned places. It also prohibits any person intoxicated from alcohol or drugs from entering a park area.
Included in the changes is defining parameters around alcohol sale and consumption for special events held in parks. Had it passed, people that host special events would be allowed to sell beer, wine and champagne in paper or plastic cups in the event areas, as long as they obtained a special alcohol permit from Pender County Parks and Recreation Department. The event areas, temporarily closed off from street traffic, establish boundaries for alcohol only to be sold and consumed within those limits, per the amendment.
Brown-bagging is not allowed as well, meaning alcohol would not be allowed to come in from outside the event.
“What special events are we talking about?” Groves asked.
“In the past we’ve had 5Ks reach out about having a little beer garden or something after the fact,” White said. “Also, potentially at the summer concert series and other festivals.”
White said the ordinance could allow alcohol to be served at weddings held in county parks.
George told Port City Daily the county is losing opportunities to neighboring counties and municipalities that do allow alcohol at special events.
“ We’ve had requests for people to host weddings and receptions there at the old Penderlea homestead,” George said. “ And then we lose it because, you know, they can’t have reception with alcohol.”
The special event alcohol permit would have been obtained by the event organizer and covers vendors from needing to apply for their own. This makes the event organizer responsible for vetting each vendor for appropriate ABC permits and other state required licenses. The organizer would have also been required to issue “identification devices” for anyone legal to drink — such as a certain colored bracelet — and have a new one issued each day of the event.
Pender County’s amendment would have been stricter than Surf City’s and Burgaw’s. Surf City’s policy has been in place since 1992, and only prohibits open-container alcohol on town streets, sidewalks, and alleys. So for special events, fortified wine and spiritous liquor are permitted to be sold and consumed, as long as people do not cross the street with their drinks and the event organizer gets written consent from the town manager.
Both Burgaw and Surf City require ABC permits as a part of the event application. If the event application is approved in Burgaw, and the people hosting the event have secured an ABC permit beforehand, the event gets the green light to sell open-container alcohol.
Pender’s changes went further to state that alcohol sales must end an hour before an event concludes, and Pender County Sheriffs deputies have the right to stop alcohol sales at any time during the event.
The ordinance proposal also states that any violation can result in the event’s “immediate termination” with no refund. Additionally, the event organizer will be responsible for paying hourly all sheriffs assigned to work the event, and they are responsible for providing reliable transportation for customers drinking.
Two Pender residents spoke out against the proposal, claiming allowing alcohol in county parks could bring unwanted problems.
“I’ve responded to what alcohol can do on the roadside,” Paul Couch, former first responder and current pastor in Pender County, said. “Anywhere where there’s alcohol or large consumption of alcohol, there is the potential for danger. There is an even greater potential for danger when you allow that person that’s drinking to take the wheel of a vehicle after they’ve consumed it at a park and leave to go home.”
Local J.B. Croom called it a “step backwards,” noting it would also “open Pandora’s Box.”
Port City Daily asked Pender County if the Parks and Rec Department will be making changes that accommodate any criticisms from the public and bring a revised version of the amendment before the board again in the future.
Spokesperson Brandi Cobb said since the proposal was voted down, “it’s a dead-in-the-water situation.”
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