Getting their, uh, stuff together

Organizers of a large youth and adult soccer tournament set to be held in a Travis County park this weekend almost scored a devastating own-goal on themselves by coming up short on porta-potties. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court came precariously close to denying the mass gathering permit in Northeast Metro Park to Copa Univision after county staff said the plans did not include enough facilities to serve the expected crowds. Commissioner Gerald Daugherty indicated that, even though cancelling the event at the last minute would be a black eye for everyone involved, he had no interest in deviating from county policy. He also chastised the organizers for not doing enough to ensure compliance with the rules. “If you need 200 porta-potties, get 200 porta-potties,” Daugherty said. It turns out that the organizers needed only a handful more to meet the requirements and County Judge Sarah Eckhardt postponed the morning discussion to allow them time to find more porta-potties. Reconvening after lunch, staff informed the court that the necessary items had been procured and all requirements satisfied. Commissioner Daugherty joked that he had noticed four porta-potties missing from a neighboring construction site.