HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-21-17 Public Comment - E. Shanahan - TapRoomDear Commissioners,
I strongly oppose the Bozeman Taproom CUP application to expand their current beer/wine
permit to a full liquor license. Very predictably, they changed their address, AGAIN, so that they
no longer share the same street address as Hawthorne Elementary School. As a reminder to all
of you, regardless of what proponents of the Taproom may say, Hawthorne Elementary had
intentions to change their address from Rouse to Mendenhall prior to the initiation of
construction of the new wing and to the purchase and construction of the Bozeman Taproom.
Due to the voting process to acquire funds, logistics, and other procedures that needed to be
implemented to begin construction, the Hawthorne address change was delayed until late in
2016. Hawthorne did not purposely change its address to create a conflict with the Bozeman
Taproom CUP application yet the Bozeman Taproom is clearly changing its address for a second
time to circumvent the law.
I want to share a story with you. When I was in school, I had a close friend who was the
daughter of a raging alcoholic father. At the tender age of 14, she confided in me that she was
so thankful for the time she spent at school because it allowed her to forget, for a portion of
the day, that alcohol was ruining her family and she felt, her life. She absolutely hated any
holiday breaks and especially summer break. If there was one kid in my school who lived in this
environment, I image there were several. Therefore, I imagine that there are, if not several, at
least a handful of children at Hawthorne who share a similar experience. School might be the
only place they get away from alcohol and now for Hawthorne, it is right back in their faces
throughout the day.
While public input for the original application for the Taproom’s beer/wine permit was not
widely announced, I did expect that you, the City Commissioners who are supposed to
represent all citizens within the city of Bozeman, would represent not only those who can vote
and drink, but the children of Bozeman who really need representation as their voices are
rarely heard. First and foremost, your vote to allow a bar directly across the street from an
elementary school was thoughtless of the children who currently attend Hawthorne and for
those who will attend Hawthorne in the future. And obviously, this is now water under the
bridge. But, awarding the Bozeman Taproom a CUP for a full liquor license I consider to be, at
this stage, absolutely negligent and even submissive to some extent.
As evident by many of your recent decisions and votes as to the direction of growth in the City
of Bozeman, I am questioning who you truly represent.
Vote no on the Bozeman Taproom CUP.
Erin Shanahan