By Fawn Porter/Staff Writer

Drinking beer at Wild Horse Park during the July 4 festivities may be part of the fun for some people, but it has some Council members concerned.

However, if Council members examine the possibility of banning the beverage altogether, it could cost the parks and recreation department big bucks.

Mayor Jeff Landrith said recently he was shocked to learn it was legal to drink beer at the park. When he asked a Mustang police officer July 4, he said he was told it was legal as long as it wasn’t hard liquor.

“There was a lot of drinking going on,” he said.

Landrith wasn’t the only one surprised by its legality.

Councilman Jay Adams said he, too, was shocked to discover it was legal to drink beer at the park, and that it needs to be “fixed” as soon as possible.

“I can’t think of any reason that you need to be drinking with kids and with fireworks,” he said. “It needs to be put to a stop.”

Council members Keith Bryan and Kathleen Moon said they agreed.

Moon said while the city of Mustang doesn’t make money off the sale of fireworks, it does make money in sales tax revenue from the sell of beer.

“Which is another of my pet peeves when it comes to the abuse of our local parks in conjunction with fireworks,” she said. “The city of Mustang isn’t hard up for sales tax revenue. The beer drinking mixed with the use of fireworks on city property must be addressed.”

Bryan said parks are a public place where people of all ages and families gather for “recreation and fellowship.” To allow alcohol consumption in that environment is not appropriate, he said.

But Parks and Recreation Director Justin Battles said a blanket ordinance banning all beer from the park at all times could hurt his bottom line.

He said he has no problem with banning beer during the week of fireworks, but to ban it overall could cost his department about $5,000 in softball league revenues.

“If that was to happen, we could see a 40-percent drop in teams and revenue,” Battles said. “Just under half the teams could be going someplace else.”

He said most of those team members are Mustang residents who sit in the parking lot between games, drink beer and cook out. And, he added, most of those people pick up their trash.

Beer consumption is allowed at the park in areas that are not fenced off and governed by their own rules — like the softball complex, Battles said.

Alcohol is also allowed inside the community center’s banquet hall, but follows a specific procedure.

Individuals or groups renting the banquet hall are allowed to serve all varieties of alcohol, but must pay a fee. Additionally, they are required to contract with the Fraternal Order of Police for an off-duty officer to be on the scene during all times alcohol is served.

Adams said he plans to push for the outlawing of drinking at Wild Horse Park, with the exception of inside the community center.

“To me, there is no reason,” he said. “I am surprised it wasn’t already stipulated. It’s a family place for kids, and I can’t see there being a good reason for any kind of alcohol.”

He said he’s considered the drinking that occurs outside the ball park, but couldn’t think of a way to write an ordinance that would disallow it.