A cold one in the park

Every day, we hear of local bars and restaurants shutting their doors due to financial strain caused by the pandemic. But what is the city doing to help?

Perhaps one solution could be for the City of Spokane to relax its rules on open containers in public places like parks and sidewalks. Our parks are safe spaces where individuals can meet and socialize at an appropriate social distance. By allowing safe, responsible alcohol consumption in such places, we have a unique opportunity to boost takeout sales at our local bars and restaurants and keep money in our community, while at the same time improving public morale.

We already permit tobacco use in our parks, so long as it is consumed outside of the designated non-smoking areas. Maybe we could implement similar rules for friends wanting to get together and crack open a cold one from one of our local craft breweries, or enjoy a bottle of wine purchased at a locally-owned restaurant.

Conrad Genos

Spokane