ROCK SPRINGS – All Rock Springs city liquor licenses were approved Tuesday night, but there was some discussion on a couple of issues.

Each year, the city government reviews and approves all city liquor licenses. They include microbrewery, winery, restaurant, retail, limited, bar and grill and resort liquor licenses. While there was no comment during the scheduled public hearing on the licenses, a resident who lives in the downtown area voiced concerns during the petition portion of the meeting about issues involving alcohol.

Connie Johnson told the council while it is only February, some of the problems that usually are seen in the summer are already happening. Her concerns included broken bottles and trash spread all over the area, drunk drivers and drivers speeding through the downtown area. She explained her daughter was using a crosswalk recently and was almost hit by a driver speeding and not paying attention.

Johnson also made the point many times people leave the bars with open beer bottles and whiskey glasses. She also felt there was an issue with bars over-serving people. Johnson clarified it was not only the bars but also restaurants that serve alcohol adding to the problem.

Mayor Carl Demshar said he completely understands. Demshar walks through the downtown almost on a daily basis and said he often sees beer bottles and trash all over. He added there are some issues that need to be monitored better, and this was one.

This past summer residents voiced concerns about outdoor events at the bars. Demshar said the council has learned from this and when these requests come before the governing body; they will look at all the impacts. He explained they would not be so quick to approve them until they feel comfortable there will not be negative impacts on the area.

Councilman Rob Zotti also spoke to issue over-serving. He said those businesses put their livelihood on the line every time they over serve. He said there are many examples of bars being held responsible and forced to pay when injuries and deaths occur because they served someone too much.

Zotti said the bad part about it is many of the owners and employees do not understand this. He believes employees need training to make sure they understand the dangers and costs if they over serve.

All Nighters

The council approved the dates for 2015 all nighters. This year’s request was made by the BareBack Saloon and Killpeppers nightclub. The days approved  are March 14, August 1, October 31 and December 31.

Permits

There were also two requests for permits approved by the council. The first request approved was a request from Myers Corporation for a MMA event at the Sweetwater Events Complex. The event is on March 14, and the permit will be good from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The second was a liquor catering permit request from Black Rock, Inc., for the Samantha Cook wedding and reception. It will be at the old Legion Hall on March 13 and will run from noon to 11:30 p.m.