HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-14-16 Public Comment - J. Kleine - Bozeman TaproomPlease vote to reclaim the Tap Room’s application for public comment.
I strongly oppose the approval of The Tap Room's application to modify it’s conditional use
permit to allow for serving hard alcohol. The public and the many parents whose children are
confronted with the issue daily should have the opportunity to comment on it. I am a parent of
two current students and one future student at Hawthorne.
I believe the city’s original approval for the building and placement of the Tap Room directly
across the street from an elementary school clearly violates the spirit of the state law setting out
distance specifications. It is disturbing to note that the door was moved to find away to
manipulate the law and be identified with a different street address. The state law was not
designed to protect bar patrons from school children but to protect children from the influence of
bar patrons. The city clearly did not have the children in mind when approving the bar.
The kindergarten class that is in the City Hall building is specifically walked back to Hawthorne
on a longer route to avoid exposure to the bar patrons drinking during school hours. And now we
are at risk of the city taking one bad decision and inflating it to an even worse one with the
potential of a hard alcohol license. I encourage the city to look into mitigation measures to
remedy the initial mistake of allowing the license within 600 feet of an elementary school. For
example, no alcohol should be served during school hours.
I encourage the city to be a group of decision makers and leaders that hold our children’s
interests above all else when “interpreting” the law.
I request that when you consider this application that you think of the children not the bar
patrons or business owners. If you think the placement of a bar and serving alcohol during school
hours does not impact children then I invite you to do some research and ask questions from
experts on child psychology. I encourage you to think about what modifications could be made
to make this situation safer for children. Children are forced to modify their behavior when
impacted by people under the influence. There are plenty of therapists and teachers who will
share this information.
Moreover, the state law should be amended so that sly business owners cannot manipulate its
meaning and compromise the protection of our children. Our children deserve safe zones and the
city has failed to ensure that. Please remedy this situation.
Thank you for your service and consideration,
Julie Kleine
Julie Kleine
Jkleine200@yahoo.com
406-599-2556
"Every single day, do something that makes your heart sing."
-Marcia Wieder