A change to an ordinance governing Muncie city parks means that campers and boaters at Prairie Creek can now officially and legally drink alcohol at their campsites.  IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports.

Muncie has prohibited alcohol, gambling, and camping in city parks for decades.  But because of a lack of official rules out at Prairie Creek Reservoir, which is considered a city park, campers have been enjoying adult beverages and playing cards there also for decades.

The Muncie City Council’s Monday night changes to the parks ordinance has carved out an exception for Prairie Creek “leased spaces,” making the behavior acceptable if the city parks board allows it.

Dustin Clark is the Working Foreman of Prairie Creek.  He says those activities are part of the culture out at the campground, which is mostly self-funded by campsite and dock rents.

If the city council prohibited alcohol entirely, “I would say that we would probably fail to meet basic payroll,” Clark says.

“We fund our own employees, so we would lay off city employees and close the park into ‘mothball status,’ until we could find a way to generate that missing revenue.  Because I would think there would be a mass exodus.”

The vote to make exceptions for Prairie Creek wasn’t unanimous.  District 1 councilman Jeff Green voted no after asking questions about the city’s liability if an intoxicated person were to fall into the water and die.

As the ordinance now stands, alcohol and gambling are only allowed within leased spaces at Prairie Creek, like campsites and docks.  It is still illegal in public spaces, like the public beach and for those fishing on the bank.  Alcohol on boats on the water is controlled by the Department of Natural Resources.