TEXARKANA, Ark. – Six years after the establishment of the entertainment district in downtown Texarkana, Ark., city leaders are implementing changes to to improve safety and clarify guidelines for residents and visitors.
“We have been noticing a lot of underage drinking due to alcohol being brought into the entertainment district. We’ve also had a lot of disturbances of people prowling and loitering in front of businesses, creating large crowds and then getting into altercations and disturbances,” said police spokeswoman Kristen Schultz.
The new ordinance means visitors will not be able to bring alcohol into the entertainment district from an outside source. Only alcohol purchased from businesses inside the district can be openly consumed in public areas.
There’s also a boundary change.
The Rock House Liquor Store has been removed from the entertainment district. This means no one will be allowed to carry open containers out of the Rock House any longer.
Finally, outdoor drinking will now stop at midnight.
“It doesn’t mean that the businesses aren’t still going to be open until 2 a.m. It’s just that means that wandering around downtown drinking with open container ends at midnight every night,” said Schultz.
While these ordinances are effective immediately, the police department is launching a 30-day education campaign. Their goal is to inform the public before strict enforcement begins Feb. 4.
Those found in violation of the new consumption rules will receive a warning. However, continued non-compliance after a warning may result in a citation.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.ktbs.com ’
