Greenport still struggling with an alcohol policy
It’s the first week of spring, applications for permits to use Greenport’s outdoor space are pouring in and, on Monday, the Village Board addressed the issue of waiving the ban on open containers of alcohol for September’s Maritime Festival.
The village has always suspended the ban during the festival, allowing visitors to stroll the streets with plastic glasses and bottles of beer and other alcoholic beverages in hand.
A vote on this year’s event and a decision on the alcohol consumption question is expected at an upcoming meeting.
During Monday’s work session, board members also briefly discussed restrictions associated with mass assembly permits.
“We have to be very careful with the number of events,” Trustee Mary Bess Phillips said.
The sale of alcohol on village property has come under criticism in the past, but has been allowed in some cases. Last year, alcohol consumption at events in Mitchell Park was confined to enclosed areas known as “beer gardens.”
