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1st liquor license granted by Tyrone

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

At last Thursday’s meeting of the Tyrone Town Council, Chapultepec, located in the same plaza as the Publix, was granted a license to serve wine, beer and mixed drinks. That’s right, if you order a margarita at the Mexican restaurant, now it will be made with tequila instead of white wine.

Resident Ken Matthews spoke in favor of the town granting the restaurant the license, stating that the citizens of the town had voted in favor of liquor by the drink. David Nebergall and his wife, Nancy, spoke against the granting of the license.

David Nebergall told the council that he realized that the town had voted for liquor by the drink but urged the council to “implement it with care.” Nancy Nebergall echoed her husband’s statements, adding that the town should take proactive measures to prevent tragedies. They spoke of other towns in the country that required restaurants to have a breathalyzer on the premises and to pay for the machine and its operation. They had no further details about the ordinances in those towns.

Councilman Mike Smola addressed the owners of Chapultepec before the council took a vote. “As the first liquor license holders in town, I ask that you exercise diligence and err on the side of caution.”

The vote to grant a liquor by the drink license to Chapultepec was passed unanimously.

Following that item on the agenda was an amendment to the Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance.

As it was written, establishments selling alcohol had to be 300 feet from a public library, a church, a school, and residential property. “Being 300 feet from a residence is not a a state requirement but is a local requirement,” said Town Manager Barry Amos, who added that the current definition also included property zoned agricultural residential (AR), which is the town’s holding category.

Amos recommended that the ordinance be amended so that a commercial tract could serve alcohol next to an AR property, as long as the tract was 600 feet away from a residence.

This item came to the attention of the town because Glendalough Manor, a special events facility being built off Ga. Highway 74, will be seeking a liquor-by-the-drink license and they are located next to a piece of land zoned AR.

The council had no problem with this amendment and it passed unanimously.

The next meeting of the Tyrone Town Council will be Thursday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m.