Party's over?

FOLLY BEACH — Banning booze on the beach, strictly enforcing existing laws and posting more signs stating the island's laws were among suggestions made Tuesday night by a large and vocal group that attended a forum regarding littering and rowdy behavior on the beach.

"When you come to Folly Beach, you can get drunk and do anything you want. As long as you don't get caught by the two police officers on the beach, it's all fine," Kris Marley said while advocating an alcohol ban.

City Council scheduled the forum in response to the recent, and now infamous, Fourth of July weekend. As dawn broke July 5, city officials and residents found the beach littered with beer bottles and cans, whisky bottles, beer packaging, abandoned coolers, baby diapers and beach chairs and blankets. Littering is an ongoing problem, as is rowdy behavior, much of it related to alcohol, city officials and residents have said.

The amount of trash volunteers picked up on the beach after the holiday weekend overwhelmed the city's trash bins and trucks.

Tuesday's forum touched on a number of ideas, and Mayor Carl Beckmann Jr. announced the formation of the Folly Conservation

Corps, which he said is based on the Civilian Conservation Corps the federal government sponsored in the 1930s.

Beckmann said the corps "will put people to work," and the first team already is being assembled. The corps' responsibilities will include picking up trash, reminding people on the beach to pick up their trash, passing out trash bags and "being the eyes and ears of the Public Safety Department."

At one point in the forum, a younger person told council to ignore another speaker's comments blaming youths for the problems at the only public beach in South Carolina that allows alcohol consumption beside the surf.

"Don't target a specific age group or demographics," said Tori Zinger of James Island.

But Marley of Folly Beach insisted it is the younger people who are causing problems. "It's the 20- to 30-year-olds that come to Folly Beach to get stupid drunk," Marley said.

Marley also maintained that the city encourages drunkenness and drug use by being lax about enforcement.

"The 20- to 30-year-olds have been told by the actions of our City Council and the actions of our police department that they can come to Folly Beach, the drunk tank of Charleston County. We have a history on this beach of encouraging illegal behavior," Marley claimed.

Beckmann said on July 6 that a ban on alcohol on the beach was an option to be considered. But after hearing strong opposition from Folly residents, and considering the high costs of enforcing a ban, he said other solutions must be found.

Council has held several meetings to discuss the issue and prior to Tuesday had prepared a list of potential actions.

Arbitrators for the forum urged the crowd to break into small groups and choose spokespersons who would then voice suggestions and questions for Council.

Several people suggested that renters of homes on Folly be given printed matter clearly stating the city's laws and the penalties for violating them.

Arris Brownfield of Paducah, Ky., who owns properties at Folly, suggested that the city could charge each renter a $5 fee, which would go into the city's coffers and which could be used in handling problems created by visitors.