Bethel City Council will consider protesting two liquor store applications at its meeting on Tuesday.
The first resolution would protest the application to turn Fili’s Pizza restaurant into a liquor store. The protest proposal says that the site has not received the required permit from the city, and the increased traffic to and from the store would likely endanger pedestrians. Also, the site sits too close to a number of properties the proposal says an alcohol store could jeopardize: the Bethel Teen Center, Ridgecrest Cemetery, Pinky’s Park, and the Tundra Center, which acts as a halfway house and step-down facility for the incarcerated.
The second application the council will consider protesting would turn Cezary’s Auto Body and Paint Shop into a liquor store. The site has not received the required permit from the city, and there are safety concerns. A letter from the City Manager to the Council says the site does not have adequate parking, the store area appears to be in a garage, and the building sits next to the seawall, which has a 20-foot vertical drop to the river. The shop also sits within 75 feet from a liquor store owned by Bethel Native Corporation, which is not currently operating.
The Council will also consider an ordinance to create Bethel’s first dog park during Tuesday's meeting. If passed, the city would designate five acres on Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway next to the Public Health Nursing building for the site.
Another ordinance on the agenda would donate $5,000 to Bethel Search and Rescue to hold a three-day regional conference in March. The donation would divert the funds currently designated for donations to the Kuskokwim 300 for race sponsorship and to ONC for bus maintenance.
Finally, the council will consider an ordinance that would allow taxi companies to shop for more insurance options than what are allowed under the current city code.
You can review the meeting agenda and packet here.
