It’s silly that a town believes one of its core functions is to host a Halloween party. Last year Chapel Hill spent — in other words, wasted — $220,000 trying to control the raucus crowds that pack the town every year. But rather than cancelling the party and saving the funds, Chapel Hill officials have spent months wringing their hands over what to do.
Now the town has decided the only way to dial down the out-of-control “guests” at the annual party is to make it as tough as possible to get in, and then charge a $5 cover fee for those who make it past the town gauntlet. But if you want to know what officials who have to deal with the reality of the drunks think about the party, check out these comments from Police Chief Brian Curran (emphasis is mine):
Shuttles will no longer deliver people to Franklin Street from park-and-ride lots, and, as usual, downtown streets will be closed to parking. Curran said Chapel Hill’s streets will be in gridlock and probably will spill over into Carrboro.
“Not coming is going to be the smart thing to do this year,” said Curran.
“I would like to apologize in advance to all the people that are going to be inconvenienced that live here. … Our advice to people is, plan to stay in that night.”
I’m with Chief Curran.
