Liquor license questions remain

The majority of discussion at the Riverside Town Council meeting on July 16, 2020 centered around the question of whether or not to renew the liquor license for the Mangy Moose. Many were in attendance to see the out come of the Council’s decision. There was not an open seat in the room.

The Mangy Moose was purchased last year by JoElla and Desi Vacher. They had obtained one of the two liquor licenses available for the Town of Riverside. The Mangy Moose then sat for 11 months before opening.

According to JoElle Vacher, when they had purchased the property, it needed a lot of work. They did not think that it was good business sense to open in a small town in winter months. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The health and safety of the community was the priority so the Mangy Moose remained closed. The Mangy Moose was also listed for sale for a few months.

Then in May, the owners took steps to get the business open, obtaining the proper permits, licenses and took the property off the market. The Mangy Moose opened for business July 10th.

With the permit about to expire, the Riverside Garage submitted an application for the liquor license.

The Town Council had to make a decision on the liquor license. There were concerns that the Mangy Moose had sat for nearly a year before opening for business, it had been listed for sale and the current paper work does not give specific hours of operation.

Leroy Stephenson, Mayor of the Town of Riverside, stated he had spoken with attorney Tom Thompson, earlier in the day. He made the suggestion that, since the Town of Riverside is the licensing authority, the permit be issued for three months after which time, the status of the Mangy Moose could be re-evaluated.

At the time of the meeting, the Council approved the license for three months. However, when the applications were sent to the Wyoming Liquor Commission, the Commission said that Riverside could not issue the license for 3 months. More research is being completed to determine the course of action for the liquor license in question.

After the the public hearing for the liquor license the regular meeting continued.

Stephenson said that Sarah Hutchins, GIS Specialist, had mailed new flood plain maps. When they are received they will be on display at the Town Hall for the community to review. There will be meetings in September for the appeal process before the maps are adopted for official use.

Helen Weiland, South Central Wyoming EMS Joint Powers Board representative, provided an update.The newly hired paramedics have now received their license from the state of Wyoming so there are now two paramedics servicing the area.

Weiland also relayed that new legislation has negatively impacted the contract with Classic Air Medical, who provides medical air transport services. The current contract will expire in October and cannot be renewed due to the new legislation. Weiland also said that Classic Air is working with her to find a deal with a national air ambulance company.

Lee Ann Stephenson was there and gave an update on the Specific Purpose Tax. The Town of Riverside will receive around $35,000 in this disbursement. The plan is to use the funds to pay for the current engineering bills that were incurred and the rest will be put towards the meter replacement project.

The Town Council then passed Resolution 2020-2 that will raise sewer rates effective August 1, 2020 as there were no public comments opposing the increase.

Lastly it was decided that the Riverside Party Day would be canceled due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next Riverside Town Council meeting will be held August 13, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. at the Riverside Town Hall.