Hockey fans attending games at the Barrhead Agrena, especially on Friday and weekend evenings, might have noticed a change in atmosphere.
Compared to last season there are relatively fewer nights where the spectators are belligerent, verbally abusive or just down right loud and obnoxious.
That is why the Barrhead Leader decided to talk with Shallon Touet, Parks and Recreation director, to see if town staff is doing anything different and it turns out they are.
“This year, we (recreation staff) are consciously looking for people trying to smuggle in alcohol during the games,” he said, adding he first became aware of the issue through articles in the Barrhead Leader as well as complaints from Agrena patrons. “It definitely was a problem, but it seems the problem is on a decline.”
Most of the alcohol was smuggled in by young people, who sit in one particular area, in the form of beer and Twisted Tea (a malt liquor based product).
Depending on the evening, recreation staff could confiscate or make offenders throw out as many as a two dozen bottles. However, on most occasions it is more like a dozen or less.
“All in all it has been a positive experience. If you approach kids in a respectful manner they respond in kind,” Touet said, adding since staff has started to check for alcohol there has been a marked decrease in objectionable behavior. “It’s really starting to clean up. There isn’t the cussing you used to hear and when the visiting teams’ fans come here there isn’t nearly the same type of bad interaction between them.”
Unfortunately, Touet said although staff has made a concerted effort to stop illegal drinking inside the building it is impossible to stop it completely.
“Where there is a will there is a way and there will be some drinking at the games,” he said, adding even if they were able to completely stop alcohol from being brought into the building it is almost impossible to police the parking lot.
“The kids often just run out in between periods to their cars to drink,” he said, adding it is the same problem staff run into at the Barrhead Sportgrounds, adding at the baseball diamonds it is mainly adults who are the culprits.
At the Agrena, Touet said it is a little easier to police because when the facility is open there are always maintenance staff on hand, but added it is something town staff would also see less of.
“It’s still a public place and drinking isn’t allowed, but how do you curb that? It is like old-timer hockey and beer — they go hand-in hand,” he said.
However due to potential vandalism issues at the Agrena, Aquatic Centre and Barrhead Curling Club, skateboard park and bowling alley, security cameras will be installed in the near future and they will pan on to the baseball fields.
“Vandalism may not be the only thing they catch,” Touet said.
Although currently in the off-season, recreation staff is also looking at ways to prevent vandalism at the skateboard park.
In the winter months it isn’t a problem, but in the early spring, after the snow melt in past years, it has been an issue.
As a preventative measure, Touet plans to have discussions with skateboard park users asking them to become more involved, adding he has already had preliminary talks with park users.
In addition to helping prevent vandalism, he wants skateboarders to become actively involved in future planning.
“I know many of the kids aren’t happy about its location on the old tennis courts because the pavement is showing its age and sometime in the future we would like to build a new park for skateboards and BMX and we would like them to be involved in the planning,” Touet said, noting this will be some time in the future. “A skateboard park for a town this size can run anywhere from $400,000 to $500,000 so it is something council needs to budget for.”
