Should Conway have outdoor drinking districts?

Shoppers and patrons are seen outside the restaurants of Norcross Place on Monday. (Rachel Sharples/Conway Daily Sun)

A bill allowing towns and cities to create social districts where people can walk around with alcoholic beverages has been signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte. It also received support from local House members.

But Conway Selectman Steve Porter is leery about the idea.

Residents would have to approve the creation of social districts at annual town meeting. Selectmen would be required to hold a public hearing on a warrant article no more than 30 days and no fewer than 15 days before the vote.

HB 467 was signed into law by Ayotte on July 11.

Social districts must be marked with signage, and containers for alcohol may not be made of glass; are limited to 16 ounces; and must say where the beverage was purchased, among other restrictions. The law goes into effect Sept. 5.

“The board of selectmen … shall establish management and maintenance plans for the social district and post these plans, along with a rendering of the boundaries of the social district, on the website of the city or town,” states HB 467.

“The social district shall be maintained in a manner that protects the health and safety of the general public.”

The bill continues:

“Before allowing consumption of alcoholic beverages in a social district, the city or town shall submit to the liquor commission a detailed map of the social district with the boundaries of the social district clearly marked and the days and hours during which alcoholic beverages may be consumed in the social district.”

The districts would be located near bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

On Monday, the Sun asked Porter, who serves as the selectmen’s representative to the Conway Planning Board, about the bill. (The selectmen were scheduled to meet Tuesday as this issue of NH Business Review was about to be published.)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the board approved outdoor dining with on-premise alcohol service. Porter said outdoor dining has worked well, because alcohol is sold on-site and local restaurants have a good handle on it. Still, he said, he would be cautious about establishing social districts.

“Up here, you have a mixed bag of vacationers. You’ve got some good people. You’ve got some people that are just out for a good time, regardless of the consequences,” Porter said. “My first opinion is I’d be cautious and a little skeptical.”

He added: “I remember times we used to play softball in Schouler Park, and we used to have a few good times, so to speak. We behaved ourselves. But it also takes one to screw it up for everybody else.”

The Sun also asked Town Planner Ryan O’Connor and other town officials about the bill.

“How the new regulation is approached will be a topic for the select board, business owners and voters to weigh,” said O’Connor on Monday.

Planning Board Chair Ben Colbath said he’s sure his board will address the issue at some point.

Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chris Proulx said Monday that he will be looking into the bill.

“I just actually learned of that this week, and I don’t really have much thought or opinion on it at the moment. It is something that is definitely intriguing, but I have yet to talk to our local businesses about it,” said Proulx. “It is something we’ll obviously be learning more about very shortly.”

The Sun also emailed local state representatives from Bartlett, Jackson, Conway and south to Moultonborough for their thoughts.

The bill received bipartisan support.

Rep. Anita Burroughs (D-Bartlett) said HB 467 went through the Commerce Committee, on which she serves. She fully supported the bill as a pro-business opportunity. She said creating social districts would involve three steps: First, voters must approve a district; then town governments would design and specify its location. Lastly, the state Liquor Commission would have to approve it.

“My husband and I were in Naples, Fla., one winter, and attended a street fair that could be characterized as a social district. There was food, music and drinks available. This was great for the city of Naples and all of the stores and restaurants within the district. It was a fun evening for us,” said Burroughs. “The bill is not a mandate, so towns and municipalities can decide for themselves whether to pursue this initiative. Alcoholic beverages will be off-limits to underage people.”

Rep. Steve Woodcock (D-Conway) expressed ambivalence.

“I think if it is limited to certain areas and specific events, I’m pretty comfortable with it … as events typically have police oversight,” said Woodcock.

“I do have concerns about underage drinking, and I don’t support a general policy everywhere — meaning walking from place to place downtown with a cocktail or beer in your hand. I’m concerned about the potential of overindulging and then getting in your car — at least in an establishment there is a modicum of oversight via the bartenders,” he said.

Rep. David Paige (D-Conway) emphasized that local communities get to choose whether they want social districts, which is why he supported the bill.

The Sun asked whether he thinks the bill is right for Conway.

“I think there would be a lot of questions to ask and answer before we decided that,” said Paige.

Rep. Joseph Hamblen (R-Moultonborough) also voted in favor of the bill.

“The state is not making this mandatory; the state is saying to the cities and towns, ‘if you want to do this, we have no objections,’” said Hamblen. “My wife and I were in New Orleans one New Year’s Eve, and they had this in effect there. Bars and restaurants were packed. Many bars had a walk-up bar at the sidewalk. No seats — you could buy a drink and walk away. The one big rule: no glass containers of any kind, plastic cups only.”

This article is being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit www.collaborativenh.org.