Rexton Park board recommends updates to parks policy manual, raises alcohol permit fee to $100 and approves three museum alcohol permits

The Rexton Park board on Feb. 6 reviewed proposed revisions to its Parks Policy and Procedures manual, recommended adoption of the changes and approved three separate requests to allow alcohol consumption at museum events.

Don (staff member), who presented the revisions, said the packet includes both editorial updates and several policy changes. The most prominent change proposed was an increase in the alcohol consumption permit fee for picnic pavilions from $50 to $100. "We don't issue permits to sell alcohol — that's the Alcohol Beverage Board — but we do get a lot of requests from families and companies that want to have picnics at our larger pavilions," Don said, adding the department sees higher cleanup and staff-time costs when alcohol is present.

The department noted alcohol consumption — not sales — remains allowed only at specified picnic pavilions: 5th District Park Pavilion, John Baggett Park Picnic Pavilion, Dorsey Park Pavilion and Cecil Park Pavilion. Don said sale of alcohol at events would require a separate special permit from the Alcohol Beverage Board.

The packet included other non-substantive edits and several policy clarifications. Among items noted in the presentation: Baggett Park’s pavilion listing was updated to reflect available water and electric hookups; phone numbers and contact lines for the skate park were corrected; pages addressing indoor recreation facility rentals (pages 13–15 of the prior manual) were removed and will be placed in a separate indoor recreation facility policy manual; an explicit spray-park policy was added to the manual where it had previously been omitted; and athletic-field lighting was clarified to automatically cut off at 11 p.m.

Board action: A board member moved to accept the proposed manual changes; another board member seconded the motion and the board voted to recommend adoption (vote announced as unanimous). The board’s motion to recommend adoption was recorded as approved.

On related business under "Other Business," Don presented three separate museum event requests that would allow onsite alcohol consumption at St. Clement’s Island/Piney Point museum properties. The events are: the Potomac Jazz and Seafood Festival (Friends of the St. Clement’s Island/Piney Point Museums) on July 14, 2012; a Chamber of Commerce "Business After Hours" event at the museum on Aug. 22, 2012; and the annual Blessing of the Fleet (Optimist Club, 7th District) Oct. 5–7, 2012. Don told the board these events have been held previously at the museum and staff recommended approval. The board moved and seconded a motion to approve all three consumption permits; the chair called the vote and it was announced as unanimous. Don reminded the board that if any event intends to sell alcohol, the organizer must also secure a special sales permit from the Alcohol Beverage Board.

Board members asked and staff confirmed the manual changes are being forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for formal adoption and that the parks division will implement the administrative updates once the commission takes action.

Ending: The board approved the manual updates and the three museum alcohol-permit requests; staff will transmit the recommended manual revisions to the Board of County Commissioners for formal adoption and event organizers seeking to sell alcohol must secure Alcohol Beverage Board permits.