HomeMy WebLinkAboutAlcohol Public Comment from Lisa and Allan Kirk, 9-8-14From: Lisa Kirk [lkirk@montana.com]
> Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2014 10:56 AM
> To: Carson Taylor; Cyndy Andrus; Chris Mehl
> Subject: Can Bozeman handle another alcohol vendor downtown?
>
> Dear Carson, Cindy, and Chris –
>
As we will be away on business next week, and unable to attend the council meeting to express my
concerns in person, we felt that we should reach out to you by email. You are each aware of the
challenges the downtown businesses and residences face as a result of the sale of alcohol under existing
licenses. We all wish to see an economically vibrant downtown, but we also want Bozeman to be truly
healthy and productive, growing through innovation, manufacture, artistic endeavor and economic
diversity, not simply alcohol-based hospitality and tourism. Recent decisions to permit a number of new
artisanal alcohol production and tasting businesses has rapidly expanded the number of vendors who
sell alcohol in downtown Bozeman and even in adjacent neighborhoods. This proposal sadly comes at a
time when police are struggling to contain the statistically significant increase in crime during events like
Music on Main (recent Chronicle article, Musical Differences). Both residents and businesses are
identifying crime and disruption related to downtown alcohol consumption, year round. See
http://www.crimemapping.com/advancedTrendReport.aspx?db=9%2f02%2f2013+
www.crimemapping.com<http://www.crimemapping.com>.
The numbers from Monday June 23 - Sunday August 17th, 2014 were used to get stats for the 8 week
period of Music (Mayhem) on Main in a 2 mile radius around downtown Main Street. Crimes which
seemed less relevant to MOM (e.g., fraud and arson) were removed. Over the 8 weeks, 32 crimes
above the typical “background” rate of 54 crimes per day were reported during the Thurs/Fri time
frame. One wonders what the numbers would look like if these included unreported and/or uncited
crimes.
If you add together DUI, vandalism, possession, and disturbing the peace, you have 51% of the crimes
committed in central Bozeman over the past year, and the problem is not limited to MOM or MSU
students. If you look at the distribution of crime as presented on this site, a large part of it occurs
downtown and in the adjacent residential areas.
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Unfortunately, efforts to shift this culture will not be aided by the ongoing permitting of new alcohol
vendors in the downtown. We are very sorry this is true, as we are folks who would enjoy visiting a new
winery on occasion. But if Bozeman wishes to continue permitting these types of businesses, our
culture of alcohol consumption and resources for its management must change. We are working to
organize a facilitated stakeholder forum to address these concerns across all interest groups in the next
month (see attached), but in the interim we ask that you consider carefully the impact your approval of
another alcohol vendor will have on an already overtaxed system.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> Lisa and Allan Kirk
> 227 E. Olive Street
>
> Bozeman
> 406-581-8261
> lkirk@montana.com<mailto:lkirk@montana.com>
>
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