Mangy Moose approved

A special meeting of the Riverside Town Council was held on July 28, 2020 to revisit the liquor license for the Mangy Moose since the Wyoming Liquor Commission informed the Council that it is not possible to issue a license for a term of three months.

At the beginning of the meeting there was discussion regarding a letter that had been recently written to the Riverside Town Council which council member Ed Golden found offensive. He reminded the audience that the position of council member is volunteer and the members of the council are only interested in being fair and upholding the law.

Katie Cheesbrough, Riverside Town Council member, also spoke up, “We are trying to do what is best for this town and the businesses in this town”.

The meeting then proceeded with review of the issues at hand.

The debate was around a letter that was sent to the Riverside Town Council this spring which had stated the owners of the Mangy Moose had no intention of opening in 2020 or 2021 but had submitted an application to renew the liquor license. A meeting was scheduled in July to discuss the license.

In the meantime, talk went around town. Another business, hearing the license may be available, submitted an application.

The owners of the Mangy Moose were also working to get all the required licenses and were eventually able to open for business at the beginning of July.

A few members of the audience expressed their opinion. There was still concern among the attendees of the meeting about the Mangy Moose remaining open.

Mayor Leroy Stephenson said that they will be expected to be open for full time hours with the exception of the winter. Most businesses in the area do have limited hours in the off season. There is still an expectation that there will be some hours every week in which the business will be open for business. If they close for any period of time, the Wyoming Liquor Commission will be informed.

Cheesbrough questioned what would happen if the liquor license was not renewed. Stephenson said, “if its denied, the Vachers, owners of the Mangy Moose, can appeal. The license will not be available to anyone until the court has reached a decision”.

Stephenson then stemmed the circular debate by stating that the bottom line is to either approve or deny the liquor license. After a few more minutes of debate, the council voted to approve the liquor license for the Mangy Moose for another year.

The next regular meeting of the Riverside Town Council will be at 6 p.m. on August 13, 2020 at the Riverside Town Hall.