Alcohol now allowed at park

Councilors vote to permit drinking at group events at Fort Williams.

CAPE ELIZABETH — Group events at Fort Williams Park are now allowed to have alcohol, pending Town Council approval of individual events, according to a town press release.

The council on Nov. 14 voted to amend park policy to allow consumption of alcohol at group events. The policy change paved the way for councilors to subsequently approve a request from the Maine State Troopers Association to serve beer at a private gathering of the National Troopers Coalition on the Parade Ground on Sept. 13, 2012, a Thursday.

The approval includes a long list of provisions, including restrictions on service of beer and wine at the event. Most of the restrictions were suggested by Police Chief Neil Williams, said Bill Nickerson, chairman of the Fort Williams Advisory Commission.

In the past the town has made exceptions to the no-alcohol policy, which mirrors state regulations for public places, but councilors and the commission saw the policy change as a first step to facilitating revenue-generating events at the park.

The Maine State Troopers Association will pay a $3,600 fee for the September event.

"As we are finishing the revised (Fort Williams Park) master plan, one of the things we are talking about is having a venue for receptions," advisory commission Chairman Bill Nickerson told members of the council, according to the release. "I think the reality is if we are going to generate much revenue from those events, alcohol will in some way have to be able to be a part of those.”

He said one of the 10 priorities of the plan revision is to establish a venue in the park for receptions, and with that, a business plan with guidelines for use. "This sort of pre-empts the master plan and the business plan, but it is an opportunity to generate $3,600 in the fort next September," Nickerson said. "For now this is kind of 'step A,’ and we'll see where we go from here," he said.

Once the master plan is approved, the commission will develop standing criteria for using the event space, including use of alcohol, so that each application does not need come to the council for approval, Nickerson said.

Councilors unanimously approved both the policy change and the troopers' event.