Bill Simmons does not think banning alcohol in his parking lots before Syracuse games will affect the number of people parking there. He’ll find out for sure on Saturday.

‘I can’t imagine that if the tailgaters that want to drink [go] somewhere else, that I’m not going to be able to fill up those spots of people that just want to park and go to the games,’ said Simmons, executive director of the Syracuse Housing Authority.

The housing authority announced last week that it will no longer allow alcohol in its parking lots, affecting people who tailgate in the lots before Syracuse sporting events in the Carrier Dome. The housing authority owns three lots, which have a total of 60 parking spaces, Simmons said. Two lots are located on Almond Street and one is located on the corner of McBride and Burt streets.

Saturday’s game against Toledo is the first home football game since the announcement, meaning Simmons has yet to see what effect the ban will have in his parking lot. But the 60 spots available in the housing authority parking lots, which are not owned by Syracuse University, is a tiny fraction of the parking spaces available for Syracuse fans, most of which do allow tailgating. SU opens 24 lots for parking during games, for a total of 10,600 parking spaces, said Al Sauer, director of parking and transit services, in an email. All 24 parking lots allow alcohol, although tailgaters in the parking garages may not have open flames.

Since 24 of these lots do allow alcohol, regular tailgaters in the housing authority parking lots might not have a hard time finding a new space.

The alcohol ban at the housing authority also comes with an increase in the price of parking in the lots from $10 to $15, and fans may not park in the lots until two hours before the game.

The lots at the housing authority have been open to tailgaters for many years, said Simmons, who has been the executive director for six years. He stressed that the ban is on alcohol, not tailgating as an activity.

‘We didn’t say they couldn’t tailgate, they just can’t use alcohol,’ he said. ‘For those who don’t use alcohol, you can still cookout and all those things.’

In recent years, the number of rowdy and intoxicated tailgaters has seemed to increase, he said. The housing authority has never had to ask police to get involved, but Simmons does receive a number of complaints from tenants.

‘We’ve never had to arrest anyone, no, but the use of alcohol is getting a little rowdy and out of hand,’ he said.

Sgt. Gary Bulinski of the Syracuse Police Department said the police do not track the number of received complaints related to tailgaters.

‘You might have a disturbance complaint or an intoxicated party, but I would not be able to associate that with tailgating,’ he said.

Sauer said SU has not had a major issue with overly intoxicated tailgaters, and the Department of Public Safety would handle any such issues on a case-by-case basis.

Tara Baron, a senior graphic design major, has been tailgating with her family for Syracuse home games since she was a child. The family tailgates in an SU parking spot, not at the housing authority.

Baron’s father is an SU alumnus and her parents have had season tickets for years. For each game, Baron’s parents travel from Binghamton and set up a big tent where family and friends gather before the games.

‘There’s a lot of food, drinks, (it’s) a great time to bond with family and friends all supporting one similar cause, which is the Syracuse football team,’ Baron said.

For Baron, and many other fans, tailgating is a part of the football tradition.

Said Baron: ‘Some people, I think, appreciate tailgating even more than the game.’

kronayne@syr.edu

Published on September 21, 2011 at 12:00 pm