HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-01-16 Public Comment - R. McElgunn - Bozeman TaproomFrom:Rick McElgunn
To:Agenda; trustees@bsd7.org
Subject:Hawthorne School and the Taproom
Date:Thursday, December 01, 2016 9:19:45 AM
City Commissioners and School Board of Trustees,
I was surprised to see the Taproom open across the street from the Hawthorne School however I wasn’t overly
concerned. I’ve lived in Gallatin County since 2001 and have earned every dollar of income in the service industry,
working in both beer & wine and liquor license formats. In the early 2000’s, I was the General Manager of the
original MacKenzie River Pizza Co. and later a regional manager for MacKenzie Northwest. Further, my wife’s
Naturopathic practice was located in the building adjacent to the current Taproom for a decade. I know the
downtown area very well.
The difference between the two formats is significant. In the beer & wine format, beverages are there to
compliment the experience - food, beverages and conversation/community. In liquor, beverages are the experience.
Take a walk down Main Street any Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday morning, looking only at the sidewalk I
assure you that you will identify the location of every business serving liquor. This is still a college town and the
epicenter of alcohol consumption in our city is Main Street from Church Avenue to S. 8th Avenue.
In my opinion, allowing a liquor license at the Taproom adds no value to our community - there is no unmet demand
for liquor in that area. If the Taproom is operating under a Restaurant Beer and Wine License and is failing to meet
the requirement that 65% of the annual gross income come from food sales then that is a business issue the Taproom
needs to address.
Bozeman would never allow a liquor license to operate across the street from any other elementary school. Yes,
Hawthorne is unique in that it is located downtown. Yet we still have an obligation as a community to surround our
children with an environment appropriate for children. A liquor license at the Taproom is not acceptable.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Rick McElgunn