ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — There will be no tailgating at Bills game, according to the Orchard Park Town Board on Wednesday night.
The reason? If there are no fans allowed in the stadium, the Erie County Department of Health will not permit any tailgate activities.
That could change going forward, however, according to County Execctive Mark Poloncarz.
"If NYS allows fans to attend Bills games, tailgating will be allowed, but with restrictions to protect the public. Currently NYS does not allow attendance at any pro sports event. Thus tailgating in public and private lots will depend on whether fans can attend the games," he said in a tweet Wednesday night.
The Orchard Park Town Board announced that news during a public hearing on Wednesday night, when they aimed to decide on tailgating and whether it should be allowed to go on in private residential and commercial lots surrounding the Bills' complex in the fall.
Several local restaurants and bars had also requested permission to set up tents on their properties.
The Bills' first home game against the New York Jets is now less than a month away, on September 13.
Councilman Conor Flynn sent 2 On Your Side an email last week, noting that after hearing from residents and business people and state and county officials, he is recommending that tailgating should be allowed to go on in private residential and commercial lots surrounding the Bills complex during the upcoming season.
Councilman Gene Majchrzak last week saud he was willing to go along with tailgating for now but with a quote "short leash" to revoke any permit if there is a problem.
The dissenting note came from Supervisor Patrick Keem, who said it's estimated that the town must cover about $10,000 in police costs for every home game.
