Last week, the Lee County Commissioners discussed the site selection of the New Library to be built on Hwy 82. Addition costs to acquire land range from $135,000 to $635,000 over the original $4.4 million plus the $1.5 million expansion. And this is not the end; additional costs will be coming, such as required road improvements. What is the final price to be?
Not reported by any other media was the word Alcohol. When discussing site B, directly across from the Lutheran Church, Commissioner Duffy asked the SRJ Architect representative if the Library would be far enough away, and was assured that the design had taken this into account. At least 3 times during the discussion Alcohol was brought up. Although I will take a glass of wine once in a while, I do have an issue here. When I asked Commissioner Roland after the meeting, he said this was the first he had heard of it.
My issues:
• The meeting room is part of the library, children go to the library, are we to close the library anytime an event occurs with Alcohol being served? I surely wouldn’t want children in the same building, if you are worried about the distance to a church why not children?
• Do we even want Alcohol to be allowed? The public hasn’t been asked, why not?
• Is the county going to issue itself a Liquor License?
• Is the county going to be open to a lawsuit, if someone drinks too much, leaves the event, and hurts someone while driving? Bars have been sued and so can the county.
All this, appears aim at getting just one event, the yearly Chamber of Commerce event, but it opens a big bag of worms.
There was only one other county resident at the last meeting, county residents need to make their views known to the County Commissions or you will pay the price.
-Mike Sabot
