Change is still brewing regarding Denver Parks & Recreation’s alcohol policy, with a decision recently pushed back a few months so neighborhood groups can get more answers about this latest attempt to rejigger the rules.
This won’t be the first time the city has revised them. The policy, initially established in September 2007, was amended in May 2011, again in February 2012 and later that same year in May.
Critics say the current policy is overly complicated and inconsistent, and this latest proposal is an attempt to simplify the rules and regulations and their enforcement.
The main changes would be around references to 3.2 percent beer and expanded alcohol options. In 2019, Colorado state law will no longer require a designation for the 3.2 percent, and Parks & Rec likely would follow suit, removing all references to it from their rules and regulations.
Permitted events, such as races, walks, athletic tournaments and the like, would be treated the same when it comes to selling and serving alcohol. Under the proposed change, these events also would be allowed to sell/serve all types of alcohol, which would end restrictions in some parks where beer, wine and champagne are the only libations permitted.
The same would go for permitted events held at Parks & Rec buildings (event facilities, golf clubhouses and rec centers), with the exception that such events in rec centers must be closed to the public.
Events such as demonstrations and assemblies (protests and marches) would still be prohibited from alcohol permits for serving and/or selling any alcohol.
Under the new policy, while all city parks would be able to host permitted events where alcohol is served and/or sold, other standard restrictions would remain in place, such as permit requirements, public event rules, rest periods, noise regulations and capacity limits.
Some residents who live near the parks are concerned about the implications of the potential changes. David Matthews, a West Wash Park Neighborhood Association board member, lives near the park and has been concerned about alcohol within its boundaries for several years. Matthews said that alcohol began to become an issue in the summer of 2014 when there was very little regulation and monitoring of what kind of alcohol was brought in.
“It started to get better in 2015 when the rangers were notified and able to check cans (for the 3.2 percent designation),” Matthews said.
Matthews feels that the proposed changes were reviewed internally by the city for a couple of months before neighborhood organizations found out.
“We were just pulled in at the very end after they had already decided what they were going to do,” Matthew said. “It’s about what we expected, and most of us (on the board) are not in favor. It’s a broad brush with no input from the neighborhoods.”
Matthews isn’t as concerned about the new provisions for the walks, runs and private events for the parks, but instead is most worried about daily consumption of alcohol by individuals. “What’s the plan with them?” he asked.
An online survey recently made available through the city website shows an evenly divided community regarding the proposed changes. With 624 responses received, Councilman Wayne New announced the results. When asked if all Denver parks should be allowed to host events where alcohol is served or sold, 46 percent voted “no” and 44 percent voted “yes,” with 10 percent “unsure/undecided.”
However, when it came to allowing Denver recreation centers to host events that sold or served all types of alcohol, as long as the event was closed to the public, 56 percent were for it and only 35 percent were against it, with 9 percent “unsure/undecided.” Over half (53 percent) of those polled thought that all events, whether they be public, private, races, walks, athletic tournaments, etc., should be treated the same when it comes to selling and serving all types of alcohol.
When queried about Denver’s policy of Vision Zero, which aims to reduce traffic-related deaths and serious injuries, the survey takers were concerned that this could be an issue. There was a fairly even split between those who said that it was not consistent with Vision Zero (43 percent) and those that were “unsure/undecided” about it (37 percent). Only 20 percent of those who responded thought it was consistent with the policy.
With the decision on the proposed changes delayed a few months, RNOs (registered neighborhood organizations) have more time for discussion. Uptown on the Hill did not have time to discuss the issue at their May meeting, and INC PARC still has some questions that remain to be answered.
