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New Year, New Ban In San Marcos City Parks


A new year means new rules about drinking in parks in the City of San Marcos. Starting Tuesday there is a ban on the public display and consumption of alcohol and limits on where people can smoke or use polystyrene products, such as Styrofoam coolers, cups and plates.

Park Ranger Jeff Caldwell says, "We're trying to reduce down the number of incidents and accidents that we have and just keep it a very family friendly environment." There is already a ban on state parks in San Marcos and university parks as well.

But not everyone is convinced the ban is a good idea. Daniel Thompson lives in San Marcos and says, "It's not going to leave families in San Marcos much to do. People are going to drink somewhere and if it's not by the river in one centralized location, it's going to be everywhere."

Other residents we spoke with say there are better places to drink alcohol. Frances Mahan just moved to San Marcos to attend college and says, "If you want to drink, I think you should drink at home or the bars, because we have plenty provided."

While you can't drink in most areas of the park, that doesn't include the San Marcos River and you can still drink under the pavilions which are rented for special events. Caldwell says, "If you've actually rented a space, you can bring alcohol into the park for that space, it just has to stay in that space you can't walk through the park with it."

Styrofoam coolers, cups and plates are also banned because of the danger to the environment.

By Lydia Pantazes