HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-16-16, Public Comment, S. Andresen,Tap Room
Dear Commissioners:
Thank you for taking the time to read through this letter in its entirety. I am one of the presidents
of Hawthorne Elementary school’s Parent Advisory Council, but first and foremost I am a parent
of three children who attend or have attended Hawthorne. I am also a licensed k-8 elementary
teacher. This letter speaks to the many valid concerns and issues I have, that have been brought
up to me or discussed at our PAC meetings and in conversations with staff and parents in regards
to the Taproom’s request for use of a full liquor license.
The first point I would like to bring up, is that every child has a right to a public education in
America. Drinking alcohol is a privilege, not a right. Why should our kids have to change their
behavior so an adult can drink alcohol right across the street from their school? If an
establishment is located directly across the street from a school and impacts the student’s right to
an education, than that in my opinion, is unacceptable. That is the reality of our current situation.
There are many reasons how and why this business is already negatively affecting these
children’s right of an education.
The integrity of the learning environment has been compromised by allowing the Taproom to
open in the first place. Some teachers no longer feel comfortable taking their classes out on our
front lawn for lessons, journaling, and art projects, because there are patrons drinking and
smoking, as well as music being played from the rooftop. Students are not even free to use their
campus for learning, in order for some adults to be able to drink! That is a huge problem!
Teachers can no longer walk their class on the safest route to and from school for walking field
trips, because now part of the sidewalk is eaten up by outdoor seating, often filled with people
drinking and or smoking throughout the day. No responsible adult is going to walk a large group
of children past an area where they feel their children could be exposed to things that are not
appropriate for school- foul language, smoking or the exposure to drunken patrons. Instead, they
are forced to reroute their fieldtrips to avoid a bar located directly across the street from their
school.
Some teachers with classrooms that face Rouse can no longer open their classroom windows,
due to the visual and audio distractions, not to mention the wafting of cigarette smoke. Our
campus is smoke free, but because of the proximity of the bar, cigarette smoke can be present
depending on conditions. Music being played from the rooftop bar is audible and the televisions
can be seen and heard when the garage style doors are open on the side of the taproom. Some of
the music may not be appropriate for the school environment. Some of the televisions could be
tuned to channels with inappropriate for school content. Why should the teachers have to modify
their lessons, or keep their windows or shades closed to avoid something that shouldn’t have
been allowed in the first place per the intent of the state law regarding alcohol establishment’s
proximity to schools? What happens if they put in a casino once they are granted a liquor
license? For those students who are distractible, this makes learning difficult or nearly
impossible, thus again affecting their right to an education.
What happens to a child who has an order of protection, or parental custodial issues. The school
can keep those people off of school property, however a bar can’t screen who goes in or out of
their building. The Taproom as is, is providing clear visual access to those children when they
are in a room on the West side of our building. A bar patron has a view inside the classrooms
when they are sitting on the rooftop, and the children can clearly see the rooftop from their
classrooms on the West side of the building. The post-traumatic stress this could trigger in a
child knowing they could be being watched or come into visual contact with the person their
order is supposed to protect against is unacceptable.
What about the student’s social and emotional development? What happens to the child whose
life has been negatively impacted by alcohol use outside of school? The child then has to come
to school, which is supposed to be a safe place, and continue to be exposed to alcohol throughout
the day while they are trying to learn. How is their right to an education being met with a bar
across the street? How is a bar across the street benefiting any child at any school? One argument
I have heard is that there are several other bars close to Hawthorne, but let’s be realistic. Anyone
who has visited the site can attest- NO OTHER bar near Hawthorne has the visual impact, audio
impact, or close proximity operating during school hours, to our school.
What happens when a drunken patron assaults another drunken patron and a fight breaks out?
Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean a thing. What if a drunken patron assaults a
child verbally or god forbid physically, or worse hits and injures or kills a child with their car
after visiting the Taproom. You may say there are other bars in proximity, and yes, there are-
however no others directly across the street in clear view with patrons beginning drinking at 11
a.m. daily. No others that directly affect Hawthorne students every single day they are present at
school.
The Taproom says they are a family establishment, but once they are given permission to open a
full bar, or even now as the Taproom stands, they are in it for the money. Who is going to stop
them from offering specials appealing to the college crowd to boost their revenue? Business is
business and people are in business to make money. Regardless of their intent, once their license
is allowed, they can sell it to anyone and we could have an entirely different bar across the street
from our school within a couple years.
Each of you, our city commissioners, elected to represent and protect our rights as citizens and
help keep Bozeman a safe and desirable community to live in, can help answer many of these
concerns and “what ifs” by denying the Taproom their request for use of a full liquor license. In
addition, I STRONGLY encourage you to modify their conditional use permit by making some
stipulations/ requirements, so as not to continue to negatively affect the learning opportunities of
all Hawthorne students.
1. Close during school hours or at the very least, mandate a visual vertical barrier for the
rooftop bar, so that students cannot see the rooftop drinkers during school hours,
approximately 8 am-5:45 pm.
2. No outdoor seating on the sidewalk during school hours.
3. Mandate garage doors to remain closed during school hours.
4. No music to be played on the rooftop or sidewalk during school hours.
5. All deliveries to the Taproom must park on Mendenhall in front of the Taproom, not in
front of Hawthorne on either Rouse or Mendenhall.
To summarize, please think long and wise about our future generations when making your
decisions regarding the Taproom. This should not be a quick judgement. Think about the
precedence you are setting and all the lives this decision affects--- not just someone’s
pocketbook… Most of those lives can’t even speak for themselves at this point, which is why
we must stand up for them and protect our community from things like this. I am not against
businesses or bars or breweries by any means, but there is a time and a place, and across the
street from a school during school hours is just not acceptable. Deny the Taprooms request
for a full liquor license and amend their conditional use permit with the ideas I presented to
allow our children their right to an education.
Sincerely,
Sarah Andresen
406-580-0746
sarahrusin@hotmail.com