Alcohol ban proposed at Moses Lake sand dunes
Public hearing April 18
MOSES LAKE — Every year, the Moses Lake Sand Dunes sees their fair share of alcohol and accidents over Memorial Day weekend.
The combination of alcohol consumption and large numbers of people can create a problem for law enforcement officers like Courtney Conklin. Conklin is a chief deputy with the Grant County Sheriff's Office; and he said the majority of people come to the sand dunes to party over Memorial Day weekend.
"When they're drunk," Conklin said, "It creates a situation too that's highly dangerous, including to the deputies out there."
Conklin said the county responded to more than 90 medical calls on Memorial Day weekend last year at the dunes, the vast majority of which were alcohol related.
To combat those kind of problems this year, the county is considering a year-round ban on alcohol at the dunes. The proposal goes before the Grant County Commissioners later this month. The commissioners are holding a public hearing on the proposed ordinance at 1:30 p.m. April 18 in the commissioner's hearing room.
Grant County Commissioner Richard Stevens did not say what a final decision on the plan would be, but said the commissioners would weigh the pros and cons of the proposal based upon the April 18 hearing.
The ordinance is still in the works for that hearing; but Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Steve Hallstrom said the plan would prohibit the use, possession or consumption of alcohol at the dunes regardless of a person's age. Hallstrom said also that the ordinance can again be changed depending on what the commissioners decide following the hearing.
A few years ago, the county had a permit process that required visitors to obtain a permit for entrance to the dunes. The program worked well for law enforcement at the dunes, but Conklin said other parts of the county saw the balance of partygoers spilling off into other popular summer spots like the Potholes.
Similar bans have been on the books in places like Florence, Ore., for several years now; and Conklin said those bans have influenced people to come to places like Moses Lake where drinking is an option.
Conklin called the proposal a step in the right direction and said if it is approved, it will likely go into effect for the Memorial Day weekend.
The GCSO does have problems with drinking throughout the year, mostly with local kids who party out there, but Conklin said Memorial Day is the big weekend.
The proposal received a warm reaction from those in the medical profession, but others wonder how the proposal would be enforced if approved.
Dr. Jeff Evans is the Emergency Room Director at Samaritan Healthcare, and he called the proposal a "fabulous" one.
Evans said the emergency room is inundated with injured patients each Memorial Day, the worst weekend of the year for injuries at the sand dunes.
"Alcohol is a huge part of that," Evans said.
Many of the injured are young adults, and Evans said they often have no insurance or medical coverage.
Karen Wagner is the manager of the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, and she said time will tell for the ban.
"I think you have to do what you have to do to keep the place safe," she said.
She said she can't speak for the chamber membership, but added she had questions about how the regulation would be enforced.
Frank Holdren has been an organizer of the sand drags at the dunes for the past several years, and repeated Wagner's concerns about enforcement.
"It would be a great idea if you can get it done," Holdren said.
But Holdren added that deputies have trouble enforcing laws already in place at the dunes.
Holdren said the dunes are a great place to go with the family, but said there have been problems with alcohol, and drugs like methamphetamine.
Meanwhile, Holdren said he will not be doing the sand drags this spring, after rowdy partygoers trashed the event last year. He said if the drags are held at all, they will be held in the fall.