PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Parks Commission adopted new policies Tuesday on how to handle events with alcohol, and the naming of parks and facilities.

 

Alcohol has not been allowed in city parks for years, with the exception of historic Wahconah Park. But once the newly renovated First Street Common opened, more and more requests have been coming in for events that include serving alcohol. In response to those requests, the Parks Commission has adopted a policy outlining the management of alcohol.

 

"I think what we've done is created a wonderful space downtown that can create wonderful spin offs in the community," Parks and Open Spaces Manager James McGrath said. "I certainly hope we don't see requests for alcohol at events in other parks ... We are simply reacting to the Common." 

 

Anyone seeking to use a park and serve alcohol needs both the one-day license from the Licensing Board and approval from the Parks Commission. The applicant needs to provide that license and a certificate of liability insurance coverage. In the area where alcohol is served, the Parks Commission is asking for a barrier surrounding the "beer garden," for patrons to show proof of age, for a single entrance that is monitored by security, that last call is 30 minutes before the end of the event, and that no hard liquor is served.

 

"It is just beer and wine. This excludes hard alcohol in the park, and I think that is appropriate," McGrath said.

 

While the policy allows alcohol to be served with approval, the Parks Commission reserves the right to deny it. Commissioners Michele Matthews and Clifford Nilan both expressed desire to continue to restrict use of alcohol.

 

"The common should be a family-oriented place and we shouldn't be allowing at a whim alcohol and wine at every event being requested there," Nilan said.

 

Matthews pointed to Live on the Lake at Burbank Park when alcohol is not served as the type of event she'd rather keep alcohol free. She said she doesn't want this policy to promote alcohol in city parks.

 

Chairman Simon Muil, however, says Wahconah Park and the Common both double as "performance spaces" so it makes sense that alcohol could be served for events there. 

 

The Parks Commission can also opt to approve events that don't comply with the regulations — such as the hard liquor restriction — if they deem appropriate.

 

"The commission has the discretion to go around the policy if they think it is in the best interest of the city and the parks," McGrath said.

 

The commission briefly discussed adding a fee component to it but didn't adopted any fees, instead referring back to the park usage fees already in existence.

 

As for naming a park or such things as benches, the policy outlines a number of guidelines. If being named or renamed after an individual, that person must have died five years or more prior; if an elected official, it must be at least a year after that person has left office, and he or she must have had 10 or more years of service to the community, and made significant contributions to the betterment of the community.

 

If the nominee is still living, the proponents of the renaming must contribute half or more of the cost of the facility, the public must be overwhelmingly behind the name change, and the person must have given extraordinary service to the city and community to the point of attaining national or international prominence and achievement. 

 

A park can only be renamed once in a 30-year period.

 

"I don't want to see the names of parks change every other year," Muil said.

 

The commissioners seemed less concerned about the policy because ultimately, the naming of a park comes from the community. Last year, Pitt Park was renamed to Durant Park with overwhelming community support. 

 

"I think the park naming almost takes care of itself. If you take a park and everyone starts calling it after a certain person, it becomes common," Muil said.

 

But, the policy does give those looking to name a park or bench in honor of someone a starting point.

 

McGrath added that with benches or trees, the city won't pay the installation costs. He said the Parks Department will oversee the installation but he doesn't want the city's maintenance department being called on for the installations.

 

The Parks Commission is also still working on a trespass policy, which stemmed from issues with the skate park. The draft of that policy gives the police and the Parks Commission authority to issue no-trespass orders to individuals who violate state law or park rules. 

 

"The majority of this is handled through law enforcement and the court system," McGrath said.

 

However, the policy was sent back to the city solicitor to add language ensuring that a person is convicted of the crime or cited for violating park rules, which wasn't included in the current draft. The citation for violating park rules would be handled by the Police Department and allows for an appeal process.

 

"There should be the opportunity to appeal it. It shouldn't just be on the word of any one individual," Commissioner Joe Durwin said.

 

If found guilty or cited, the person shall be banned from the park in which the crime or violation occurred for up to a year with the exact timeframe being determined by Police and Parks Department staff. If the crime is a felony or weapons violation, McGrath said the person could be banned from all city parks for an entire year.

 

"That sends a strong message," McGrath said.