Tybee Island is having a bit of an identity crisis. On the one hand, it is one of the last remaining coastal cities in the eastern U.S. that allows consumption of alcohol on its beaches and in its resort district. On the other, this liberal approach to open air alcohol consumption has garnered Tybee a reputation as a party town — one that during certain times of the year draws large crowds and all their associated problems. Several months after Mayor Jason Buelterman called for the creation of a task force to come up with ideas for improvement, city officials and volunteers are still wrestling with ways to address these problems. During a called meeting of Tybee’s public safety committee Thursday, representatives of the city council, police department and the ad hoc task force created to brainstorm ideas for improving crowd conditions on Tybee discussed a recent recommendation to curb open air alcohol consumption to regulate crowds, traffic and public safety. The goal, said Demery Bishop, chairman of the task force, was to review past problems and consider future issues that arise out of large-scale events such as the 4th of July and Orange Crush and come up with a solution amenable to all sides. “Numerous coastal communities up and down the East Coast have enacted ordinances that have, in fact, limited or eliminated open containers of alcoholic beverages in public places, and that has distinctly led to ...