Visitors to Athens Halloween festivities in 2006 might have to pay a fee to pass through a wall surrounding Court Street.
At last night's city council meeting, Carol Patterson, D-at large, said the city is maxed out because of Halloween expenses and might be forced to charge fees to visitors and put up a six-foot tall plastic fence around Court Street. This year's Halloween festivities cost the city $63,206, with $12,951 in revenues not nearly offsetting the $76,157 total bill, according to a Nov. 2 Post article.
Patterson suggested charging $5 for people in costumes entering Court Street and $10 for people not wearing costumes. Although she did not give a specific time frame for finalized decisions, she said she'd like to give students an idea of Halloween changes before they leave for summer break.
Athens Police Department Captain Tom Pyle also said a fence would be a good idea because it might keep out intoxicated people. He said he has noticed in past years that after a certain point during the celebration, the joyous attitudes turn darker and violence breaks out on Court Street.
I guess the alcohol is taking affect
Pyle said, adding that neighborhood parties might blow out of control if people are afraid of going through checkpoints.
Bill Bias, council president, expressed concern about the proposed wall and entrance fee. He said the city began sanctioning the event ' which was once a mass of people illegally taking over the street ' to help monitor and tame it, and he is afraid that trying to wall in the event will cause a riot.
I'm an old hand at Halloween and I've watched the crowd for years Bias said, adding that he worries about the event turning into a wild, illegal street takeover, similar to the ones from the past. He said he also worries about students not accepting the checkpoints and fees.
Patterson said she thinks students have more respect for authority now than they did five years ago because they have gotten used to heightened security after Sept. 11. She said having checkpoints at the Halloween celebration would not be novel for students, and she said the wall might draw in a new crowd that would not be as rowdy.
The Halloween celebration might get down to a Palmerfest-type level, making it easier to control, she said.
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Dianne Selden
