Credit: Jamie Street / Unsplash.com
The township's Summer Concert Series may be used to test drive such sales
When the Whitpain Township Board of Supervisors last met, an agenda item listed seemed “very vague,” as Board Chairman Scott Badami noted himself. Simply listed as the authorization for the township manager to advertise an ordinance to “revise regulations for Rules and Regulations for Specific Activities.”
As hundreds of topics could fall under such “regulations,” Badami jokingly asked Township Manager Eric Traub to elaborate.
“We’re looking to clarify exemptions related to the possession and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages in township parks,” said Traub. “We are trying to provide latitude to have alcohol at certain township functions subject to meeting all Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board regulations.”
Traub noted that the PLCB would have “many requirements” the township would have to adhere to in order to allow such a change. The township manager noted that the Summer Concert Series might be one such opportunity for the municipality to test a “trial basis” run of the concept. He said it would allow the supervisors to “see if that provides for an additional activity for people who are attending those concerts.”
“We’ve had success at our Community Festival, in terms of having mobile offerings, little beer gardens, things of that nature,” he said. “Also, it would help us make those activities more self-sustaining financially, and hopefully bring a little bit better cheer and enjoyment to those.”
“While still being done safely,” added Badami.
Traub said that such regulations would absolutely be done safely, and that the township staff, including the director of the Parks and Recreation Department.
“These concerts are roughly around 90 minutes,” said Traub. “We’re not talking about providing huge amounts of time.” He added the servers would, by state law, be required to be qualified by the PLCB, a certification that requires a brief educational course.
“We think this is something worth trying,” said Traub. “Other municipalities in the area have done it, done it successfully, so we think we can learn from our neighbors and try something new here in Whitpain moving forward.”
Thus far, the supervisors were simply asked to authorize Traub to advertise a proposed ordinance. After the item was motioned and seconded, Ordinance 421 was approved for advertisement without comment from the public nor the board. It will be discussed in future meetings before being formally adopted.
According to the Ordinance, which is available in full online here, persons looking to “distribute, sell, or otherwise convey alcoholic beverages” in the township’s parks would be required to apply for a permit to do so. A second exception to the typical prohibition of alcoholic beverages in Township parks, open spaces, and trails would be that a person may have, carry, or consume alcoholic beverages in open containers in Township-owned property if it is in or at a “permitted event.”
