Travis County Parks officials expect a rule banning the public consumption of alcohol in county parks could lead to an initial decrease in visitors.
County commissioners passed the rule Tuesday, prohibiting intoxicated individuals from entering county parks.
"Travis County decided to implement this measure at the recommendation of park staff [who] were reporting ongoing problems related to alcohol in the parks," said Travis County Parks Division Manager Roy Turley.
The parks division will allow for a 30-day education period to ensure the general public is aware of the new rule before enforcing any penalties. Breaking the rule after the education period may result in eviction from county parks, Turley said. If an individual is intoxicated, the police may be called by park rangers to arrest that person.
"However, we do feel that at a point, people will return as rowdiness starts to decrease," Turley said.
The new rule says "Public display of the consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited. Sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in any park. Intoxicated persons will not be allowed in the parks. Visitors who become intoxicated will be removed from the parks."
A full listing of all rules affecting Travis County parks can be found on the county's Web site. Also included is a list of parks that are operated under the control of Travis County, such as camping grounds Arkansas Bend and Hippie Hollow.
Located on Lake Travis, Hippie Hollow, or McGregor Park, as it is officially known, was established as the only clothing-optional park in the state of Texas. The park draws nearly 350,000 visitors annually and is home to events such as Splash Day, which brings roughly 2,000 to 3,000 members of the gay and lesbian community from around the country to Austin.
Held annually at the beginning and end of each summer, Splash Day is hosted by the Austin Tavern Guild.
David Green, the owner of Charlie's Austin and a member of the Austin Tavern Guild, said he is not too worried about the impact on the event, especially because much of the alcohol served is done so on boats tied to shore. Drinking on shore would violate the parks division's rules, but because most activity takes place on the water the event lies just beyond the jurisdiction of Travis County.
"Basically," Turley said, "if people are behaving themselves and making an effort to conceal it, then there are no problems."
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