By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – It will be up to the village board later this month to decide whether to grant a Class A liquor license for a business located inside the food court of Bay Park Square.
The village’s Public Works and Protection Committee, with Trustee Michael J. Malcheski not yet having arrived at the Sept. 4 meeting, deadlocked 2-2 on the liquor license application from The Shinery.
Committee members Josh Kohnhorst and Allison Williams backed the motion to grant the license with Ken Bukowski and Joann Euclide being opposed.
The Shinery Moonshine Company, which currently has stores located in the Fox River Mall in Appleton and Cedarburg, offers a variety “moonshine” flavors in Mason jars for sale.
Village Attorney Tony Wachewicz said The Shinery would be allowed to sell any type of liquor allowed with a Class A license, not just its moonshine products.
The license application, signed by company president Lisa Reissmann, calls for having an 1,800-square-foot, two-room retail outlet inside the food court.
Bukowski said he opposed granting the license on the committee because he wanted more information related to where exactly the store will be and how the village could limit The Shinery from selling any kind of liquor.
Village President Mary Kardoskee, who noted she didn’t know how she would vote when the application would be considered by the village board Sept. 25, said there are “a lot of laws and rules that go with being able to sell liquor.”
“You can’t all of a sudden go out and buy a bunch of liquor and put it in your store and hope to sell it,” Kardoskee said. “You have to have it all paid for. There’s rules and regulations on all that stuff.”
Bukowski asked that a representative of The Shinery be present for the village board’s meeting to provide information about the store and where it would be located.
“We can relay that message,” Wachewicz said.
Committee members present had unanimously recommended a Class A beer/Class A liquor license for a new Aldi store at 2492 S. Oneida St. and a Class B beer/Class C wine license for Edge VR Arcade at 2642 Packerland Dr.
Chicken permit amendment
Board members voted 3-1 to make it easier for renewing a permit to keep chickens in the village.
Euclide cast the lone dissenting vote.
The majority backed an ordinance amendment that would eliminate the requirement to obtain the signatures from neighbors within 100 feet on a permit renewal, unless the permit has been non-renewed, suspended or revoked.
Those signatures would still be required on new permit applications to ensure the neighbors approve.
Wachewicz said there have been no complaints or issues in the village with existing permit holders who keep chickens, while it can be difficult for those permit holders to obtain their neighbors’ signatures on an annual basis.
“If there becomes an issue with a complaint, whether through the renewal process or the permit being able to be suspended or revoked, the village would still retain some sort of control, if there are issues with those individuals who do have the chicken permits,” he said.
David Schommer, who keeps chickens at his residence on Early Street, requested the change because of the difficulty of obtaining his neighbors’ signatures.
“I have to get that signature from them every year, and every single year they ask me, ‘I thought we already did this.’” Schommer said.
Schommer and Bukowski both noted the village does not allow roosters.