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Liquor store site on hold?By Luther Dorr There was some discussion at last Thursday's City Council meeting about a new city liquor store being located near Oak Knoll Cemetery. The site, between the cemetery and Highway 169, had been discussed at a previous council meeting and has become somewhat controversial. The agenda for last Thursday's meeting carried the information that four firms had submitted "proposals for architecture/engineering services for development of the [potential liquor store] site." Part of the same item, titled "Liquor store development," contained a sentence that said the council "should clarify how it wants to proceed with this project so that staff does not waste time and effort on a project not supported by the Council." And, it continued, "The administrator has also met with developers to discuss the potential for other commercial development on the site." City Administrator David Minke, a proponent of the site, said at the meeting that the city attorney had researched the title to the land and found no requirement that the land be used for a cemetery. Nor has any survey been done, Minke told council members. And he said he thought that if there was any discussion on the project it should be done at a council meeting, not at a council study session. Two people spoke about the site at the open forum part of the meeting. A man, saying he lived west of town, was concerned about traffic at the intersection of highways 95 and 169 and was concerned that a liquor store there would make it even worse. And a lady, whose husband is buried at Oak Knoll, said she didn't think the city's lot there was a good place for a liquor store, or any business. Mayor Brian Humphrey, after Minke made his comments, noted that the cemetery costs the city $6,000 to $8,000 a year for upkeep and wondered if the city should stay in the cemetery business. Tom Mismash, superintendent for the city's public works, said there is enough land left for the cemetery to expand for at least 10 to 12 years. He also asked if Pioneer Cemetery, located on the northeast side of town, could be used for additional plots. Humphrey, after the meeting, said he isn't sure what will happen next on the liquor store discussion, saying he didn't know how much support the site had, although not ruling out that it could happen. In a Princeton Planning Commission legal notice in last week's Union-Eagle, the commission said it would hold public hearings on May 20, one of which was to seek a conditional use permit for fill at the "new liquor store site." This week a very similar legal is being run that seeks the conditional use permit for fill at the site with no reference to a liquor store. Editor's note: Diane Carey contributed to this story. Princeton Union-Eagle |