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Parks board reviews draft to allow beer, wine at limited special events in Beech Grove parks
Summary
Clerk treasurer Samantha Stratton presented a draft ordinance to permit beer and wine at certain special events in Beech Grove parks, outlining tiered permit fees, attendance caps and required hired off‑duty law enforcement; Hornet Park raised a school‑proximity constraint that may require written permission from the school board.
Samantha Stratton, Beech Grove clerk treasurer, presented a draft permit ordinance for beer and wine at special events in city parks at the April 9 Parks Board meeting. The draft distinguishes private "events" from open "festivals," sets a maximum of 1,000 attendees at any time for events with alcohol and proposes tiered permit fees and insurance and security requirements.
Stratton said the draft would require a certificate of liability insurance of $1 million and an event application listing organizer, date and estimated attendance. Proposed permit fees in the draft include $50 per day for events with 250 attendees or fewer and $75 for events in the 250–500 range; the draft also references a $100 fee for a specific park-type event. The draft excludes very large concerts from eligibility.
On security, the draft would require hired off‑duty police: one officer for events with fewer than 100 guests and two officers for larger gatherings, with the police chief able to require additional officers with two weeks' notice. Stratton told the board that breweries and wineries would be expected to carry liquor-liability coverage and licensed bartenders for vendor‑run sales.
Hornet Park emerged as a complicating site because, Stratton said, state rules typically ban alcohol within 25 feet of a school wall and the Hornet Park Community Center shares a wall with the school. Stratton said she has contacted the Indiana alcohol‑beverage authority and plans to seek whether written permission from the school board and superintendent would allow a waiver for special events.
Board members debated raising the proposed fee levels and discussed enforcement tools for cleanup and damage — for example, damage deposits and fines based on staff labor hours for post‑event cleanup. Several members urged clarifying where permit revenue would be deposited and aligning cleanup enforcement with existing rental language.
Stratton asked board members to send written comments by email and recommended a small working session (Stratton, President Tara Wolf, Tiffany Flick and Tom Hannon) followed by a meeting with police to finalize security and operational language before the draft returns to the full board.
The ordinance remains in draft form; no formal vote on the ordinance was taken at the April meeting.
