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Opposition raised to Twisters liquor license
City council votes to approve license

WILLIAMS - Twisters restaurant owner Jason Moore will soon be able to sell alcohol, thanks to a recent liquor license approval by members of Williams City Council. A handful of individuals raised concerns over the license, however, including members of the Williams Alliance and others who were in attendance for the March 26 regular meeting. Others spoke in favor of the license, which was ultimately approved by a vote of four to two. Council members Andrew Hamby and Bill Miller voted against the license.

Moore told council members that he decided to obtain a Class 12 restaurant license in order to compete with other restaurants.

"We've got big groups that come in the summertime, eight or 10 people, and they want to have a beer and we don't serve beer. We send them down the road. This happens week after week after week, so we're losing a lot of money," Moore said.

Students with the Junior Inspirations group spoke out against the license during the regular meeting, citing the fact that they believe the restaurant to be a "children's hangout" and family restaurant.

Williams Alliance member Elizabeth Minor said there were 22 youth in the community who are currently part of the juvenile court system due to underage drinking, which she said accounted for roughly 10 percent of the high school population.

"We are two miles in length. If we take that and break it down into football fields, we are at 29.3 football fields in the city of Williams, going straight across, east to west. For those 29.3 football fields, every 160 yards we have someone who has a license for alcohol. That's a lot and what is that showing our children in the city of Williams? We have so many deaths already," Miner said. "I don't think that a 50s style soda shop, hamburger joint was selling alcohol in the 50s."

Council member Bill Miller agreed with Minor's assessment.

"I don't think that the economic issue is an appropriate argument here. We all want to see our businesses succeed," said Council member Bill Miller. "I think there's a time and a place for everything and I don't think Twisters is the time and the place for alcohol to be served."

Wild West Junction owner Mike DuCharme spoke out in favor of the license during the March 26 meeting.

"Alcohol is legal, number one," DuCharme said. "Nobody wants to be responsible for their actions anymore and that's where it starts. It starts at home. We don't have any problems at Wild West Junction and we are a family-orientated business. We want children to come and they do come and one of the things that have improved our finances is our liquor license. We don't serve to minors. We've never been cited. We run our place with children in mind. We don't have fights. We don't have drunks. We don't have any of that, because we are responsible."

Issues with alcohol, DuCharme added, come from the responsibility of the person involved. He said he believes Twisters would operate their license in a responsible manner.

"I know that when people come, especially from other countries, they might have a beer with their hamburger and I think that's what he's trying to do, which enhances our town, it doesn't take away from it," DuCharme said. "It's up to the individual person, the individual owner, to be responsible. I don't think any of us are trying to corrupt our children or anything like that. That's not our goal."

Williams Vice Mayor Don Dent said he has seen tourists leave the business after finding out they could not purchase alcohol there.

"Last year we have had more foreign tourists than we've ever had by far and I think we will have again. Those people do expect to be able to have a glass of wine with their lunch, beer with their lunch, beer with their dinner and that's just part of it. I have actually been in Jason's when people came in and sat down at that large table. When they found out they couldn't get beer, they got up and left. I know it affects his business," Dent said.


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