Brookings County handles liquor license approvals

One business's application OK'd with on condition that it pays taxes

By Mondell Keck

The Brookings Register

Posted 11/8/24

BROOKINGS — Liquor, wine and cider were on the minds of Brookings County commissioners at Thursday’s meeting — ahem, license renewals, that is, not the imbibing of said drinks.

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Brookings County handles liquor license approvals

One business's application OK'd with on condition that it pays taxes

Posted

BROOKINGS — Liquor, wine and cider were on the minds of Brookings County commissioners at Thursday’s meeting — ahem, license renewals, that is, not the imbibing of said drinks.

With a mix of voice and 5-0 roll call votes, commissioners gave the green light to the following businesses:

• Brookings Country Club Inc.

• Cuzbins LLC (The Boathouse at Arlington Beach Resort)

• Good Roots Farm & Gardens

• Schade Vineyard Inc.

• SVK Properties/Midway Place

• Wagon Wheel Resort LLC

• Skyview Junction LLC

The licenses — which include a variety of types such as retail (on sale) liquor, retail (on-off sale) wine and cider, and package (off sale) liquor — are good from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of next year.

The license for the country club was conditioned on it paying the second half of property taxes, which were due no later than Oct. 31. Furthermore, the license for Skyview Junction was only OK’d after a degree of discussion with a representative of the business involving an infraction in June — which, afterward, commissioners felt had been sufficiently addressed.

Commissioners made their regular reports as well, and some tidbits of useful information arose from them, including:

• Commissioner Mike Bartley noted that construction is progressing nicely on the expansion project at Brookings Behavioral Health & Wellness.

“It’s a phenomenal building — it’s much needed, the space is needed,” he said. “It’s got a long ways to go yet, but if you haven’t had a chance to drive by and look at it, it’s really going to be a nice-looking facility that’s going to serve the county very well and the city very well in the future.”

He further noted that the project, valued at a little more than $5 million, is roughly two weeks ahead of schedule.

• Commissioner Ryan Krogman, who is also a member of the Brookings Housing & Redevelopment Commission, reported that the federal government has reduced the Section 8 housing voucher allocation for the city of Brookings.

“We were fortunate to have quite a few extras and we were trying to fill those as much as we could,” he said. “Unfortunately, we were not able to fill them and so the government looked at it and said, ‘OK, we’re going to use them somewhere else.’”

He said that there are currently 250 or so clients who are using the remaining vouchers, and a waiting list will be started going forward. Such lists aren’t uncommon, Krogman said, noting that Sioux Falls has a waiting list that extends 18 or so months out.

“We really didn’t have anything we could do about it — they basically gave us notice that, ‘We’re going to cut them down to what you have now,’” he said. “We still have a good number.”

Lastly, in other business on Thursday morning, commissioners:

• On a 5-0 vote, provided a $1,000 donation to the Christmas, Kids & Cops program for this year’s event, which is set for Dec. 18 in Brookings at Walmart.

• Out of long-term funds, and on a 5-0 vote, approved a $68,213.97 payment to the Elkton Fire Department for an MSA self-contained breathing apparatus plus accessories.

Commission Department Director Stacy Steffensen said the Brookings County Firefighters Association submitted the request and it was signed off on by Brookings Fire Chief Pete Bolzer.

— Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.