BERLIN Berlin's elected offi-
cials agree off-sale liquor should be
available within town limits once a-
gain. That was the message sent
unanimously by the Town Council
Monday when it voted to support a
proposed change to Worcester
County's liquor code.
Berlin has been without off-sale
liquor since September when the
county's Department of Liquor Con-
trol (DLC) decided to close the retail
operation in town to focus on the
new flag ship store on Route 50.
The move was criticized at the time
by Mayor Gee Williams, who re-
peated his complaints this week.
"What justification is there for the
town of Berlin to be the only com-
munity in Worcester County to not
have a store available for someone
to buy liquor to take home?" he ask-
ed. "Why is Berlin different? How
are we less deserving?"
Williams labeled the decision to
remove Berlin's off-sale liquor retail
a "gross misjudgment" by the coun-
ty. Attorney Joe Moore agreed.
Moore spoke at Monday's council
meeting with the hope of getting the
town behind an amendment he's
proposing that would alter liquor
regulations. The change would al-
low for a Class D license within
town limits. A Class D license per-
mits the sale of beer, wine and li-
quor without food sales but requires
at least a 25-seat bar on-site.
"Now, the Class D license also
has limitations so that somebody is
not putting together, for lack of a
better word, a hole-in-the-wall liquor
store somewhere," said Moore. "A
Class D license requires a person to
make an investment of having 25,
on-site seats for the on-sale of alco-
holic beverages."
Like the mayor, Moore was of the
opinion that the county flagship
store on Route 50 did not properly
supply the town.
"Since the County Commission-
ers relocated their sales facility out
past Stephen Decatur High School,
I think it's a historic fact that, for the
first time since the repeal of Pro-
hibition, the town of Berlin does not
have a store where a person, either
on foot, riding a bicycle or conve-
niently driving their vehicle within
the town limits of Berlin, can buy an
alcoholic beverage to take home
with them. Now, beer and wine is
available but liquor is not," Moore
said.Moore noted that, especially in
the summer, traffic can be an issue
on Route 50.
"The county has a very nice facil-
ity out on Route 50 but people can't
walk there. Route 50 is an arterial
highway in Worcester County," he
said.One question posed by the town
was whether Berlin would receive
any portion of the revenue generat-
ed by any private liquor store as
was the previous case with the
county.
"We used to get a check between
$12,000 and $18,000 a year from
the county for liquor sales of the
liquor store that was in the town lim-
its," said Michael Day, director of
Economic and Community Devel-
opment. "That's my question to Mr.
Moore: will that be required of a new
store coming in if it's private and not
the county dispensary?"
While he said he would research
that issue, Moore's next stop is the
Worcester County Commission. If
the commissioners endorse the
change to liquor regulations, Moore
will work with state Sen. Jim Mathi-
as and Delegate Mike McDermott to
advance a bill through the General
Assembly, since a change to the
code requires action at the state
level. Moore reminded the council
that even if the change is made a
business will still have to apply for
the Class D license in Berlin and go
through the Board of License Com-
missioners.
"That does not mean that any-
body is going to get a license," he
said. "All it means is that someone
would be entitled to go to the Board
of License Commissioners and
make that request."
Berlin Council Supports Private Liquor Store Proposal
Page 10
January 17, 2014
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