Could go cups downtown be in Vicksburg’s future?

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen have approved a resolution seeking to include Vicksburg with 13 other cities in a 2016 state law establishing leisure and recreation districts in the 13 cities. The legislation would allow people to have open containers of alcohol in those leisure and recreation areas.

Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. sees establishing a leisure and recreation district as a possible economic development tool to attract people and possibly more restaurants to the downtown or historic district areas. It seems like a good idea — having a provision in the city’s ordinance allowing people to be able to sit out under an awning or on a beautiful spring, early summer or fall day enjoying a glass of wine or their favorite beverage with their meal on the sidewalk or patio of their favorite restaurant.

Another reason, Flaggs and North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield said, is the city periodically gets requests from businesses and organizations for exceptions to the city’s present alcohol ordinance to allow open containers during special events.

But special events, which may last a day or two, are different from a policy allowing open containers on a daily basis, and that makes setting a leisure and recreation district a double-edged sword if the board fails to address all the potential issues of allowing open containers.

In 2015, problems at several local downtown businesses and complaints from downtown residents about excessive noise and problems with patrons forced the board of consider revoking the business’ resort status, resulting in a compromise setting new closing times.

Those past problems, the opinions of the people living downtown and whether this is something the city truly needs should be considered before the board decides whether to establish a leisure and recreation district. It could be a boon for Vicksburg or a bust, and its success or failure will lie with board and how it sets the district’s boundaries and how it regulates and enforces the activities inside those boundaries.

“It could be something we could do and set some parameters — what you allow and how you do it,” South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said. “What we can do and do we really need it. If it’s something we could benefit from. It’s something you can look at, but it doesn’t mean you need to do it.”