Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly member Dale Bagley, who represents District 4—Soldotna, proposed an ordinance to change the distance of package liquor stores from schools and churches at this Tuesday night’s meeting. However his proposal didn't pass. It did change the way distance is measured between liquor stores and school and churches though.
Bagley says the ordinance was intended to bring the Borough’s regulation in line with state law.
“In the state of Alaska the ABC Board had decided that package liquor stores need to be 200 feet from schools and churches. And most of the municipalities in Alaska follow the same 200 feet that the ABC Board requires except for three municipalities and the Kenai Peninsula Borough is one of them,” said Bagley.
And Kenai Peninsula Borough is one of them. Bagley says the Borough’s regulation requires that liquor stores be 500 feet away from schools and churches. And the way the state measures the distance is different.
“We were property line to property line. And the way the ABC Board measures, is from door going out to the road along the road and to the door of wherever you’re measuring,” said Bagley.
Bagley says the last time the Assembly weighed in the issues was the 80's and the regulation needs to be updated.
“I proposed reducing it down to 300 feet and also changing the way that the measurement is done to match the way that the ABC Board requires measuring to be done,” said Bagley.
But several Assembly members disagreed with his proposal and Bagley says discussion got heated.
“It was definitely an emotional issue and that’s probably what made it for such a long night. At the end of the testimony I realized that I didn’t have the votes for the 300 feet so I did change it to 500 feet but kept the way the measuring is done the same as the ABC Board and that did pass 5-4,” said Bagley.
An attorney representing Ninilchik General Store has been asking the Borough Assembly to change their regulation and shorten the distance between package liquor stores and schools and churches, so they can add a liquor store.
Bagley says he does not think the Borough rules are fair.
“It just really bothered me that the whole testimony and the arguments from the assembly were about the evils’ of alcohol and not about what’s fair and right with distances. I mean I really think that our measurement should have been mirrored exactly the way the ABC Board – like all the other municipalities in Alaska,” said Bagley.
Jim Clark, the owner of Ninilchik General Store, says he’s not sure whether the change in the way the distance is measured will allow him to open the store, but he’ll be taking official measurements soon.
Bagley says, although the change in the way the distance is measured is a step in the right direction, he’s unhappy that his original proposal didn’t pass.
