City Council debates Iron Horse rally, suspends beer sales at Circle S store

City Council debates Iron Horse rally, suspends beer sales at Circle S store

Jan. 11, 2001

By Janelle Holden
Journal Staff Writer

The Cortez City Council aptly displayed the city’s chosen character trait of the month — thoroughness — at Tuesday’s council meeting. A packed agenda of non-controversial resolutions such as approving permits for churches and donating library items kept council members deliberating until close to 10 p.m.

Before opening the meeting to citizen participation, the council held a show-cause hearing to decide whether Circle S Grocery’s two liquor licenses should be suspended or revoked. Circle S had previously been caught selling alcohol to minors. The council unanimously approved a 14-day shutdown of the convenience store’s retail liquor license for 3.2 percent beer and fined the package store $1,600 in lieu of a six-day shutdown.

Karen Garner was the only council member to vote against a resolution recognizing Montezuma Avenue as a historic street from Linden Street to Mildred Road. Several residents of Montezuma Avenue spoke in favor of the resolution, while several non-residents argued the resolution would damage current private-property rights.

The designation would only apply from curb to curb, and would not affect the city’s ability to change the median strip.

Montezuma Avenue resident David Faulkner, however, pointed out that the resolution would give the city "a reason" to preserve the median strip.

Audience member Darlene Denison suggested that the city did not actually own the street, so it was not within the council’s power to designate the street as a historic site. She said she had searched the Montezuma County web site and the avenue was not listed as city property.

After establishing that the resolution would not deter the city from making changes, or stretch past the curb, the council approved the resolution.

"This is just a nice thing to do," explained council member Jim Herrick. "I’m feeling fuzzy. Let me savor the moment."

The council moved forward to set public hearings for Feb. 13 to consider approving a Sedona Estates Addition annexation petition; two resolutions to create special improvement districts, and a 3.2-percent-beer retail liquor license for Safeway. Denny Street and Trinity Avenue in Lakeside Commons are the areas being considered for special improvements, as well as Cottonwood Street from Mildred Road east to Montelores Street.

Before the regular meeting, during the council’s workshop, the council made plans to attend a presentation by the Durango City Council in Durango on Friday, Jan. 19, concerning Durango’s fiber-optic construction.

Chief of Police Roy Lane discussed with the council a meeting to be held with the Iron Horse Motorcycle Rally officials on Jan. 20. Lane hopes rally officials will be deterred by both the size of the fairgrounds and its current "dry" status.

"I think it creates too much of a problem for the majority of our citizens," said Mayor Joe Keck. "I don’t think it’s a good idea."

"The only thing that concerns me is if they don’t stay in the Four Corners — if they take it somewhere else completely — I think everybody is underestimating the total revenue brought into the whole area," said Karen Garner.

The rally’s past history of violent outbreaks concerned some council members. "I don’t think you could put 30,000 of anybody, even rock collectors, in that type of situation and not have people, you know, getting hostile with each other, let alone get a buzz on. I just don’t know where we’d put them all," said council member Cheryl Walkenhorst.

City Manager Hal Shepherd brought up the possibility that if the rally was denied the fairgrounds, a private landowner could rent the rally property space within the county. "Kind of like Woodstock," commented Walkenhorst.

"That’s what it reminds me of," agreed Shepherd.

"These people are party people and they spread out," warned Mayor Pro Tem Fred Torres.

"My concern is just the pure number of people," said Lane, "whether it be motorcyclists, whether it be rock collectors, or whether it be nuns — just the pure numbers concern me. That and the inability of the hospital emergency room to handle that type of event, that concerns me, and the infrastructure of the city."

Lane warned the council that it would cost the city a significant amount of money to equip the city’s police for the event and he also voiced concerns about the "slick local clientele, the wannabes" who might attend the event.

Other citizens addressed the board during the workshop, including:

Sue Fletcher, who asked the council to consider opening the animal shelter during the weekend to accommodate working clientele who are interested in adopting animals. She said the Monday-to-Friday, 10-to-5 hours, and a closed lunch hour are too restrictive for most prospective adopters.
Lane said he would work on a solution.
Tim Dietz from Lewis, who approached the council about establishing a new fixed base operation at the Cortez municipal airport. Dietz said that his company, Mesa Verde Aviation, is interested in providing an "on-demand executive-level air taxi service with twin-engine Cessna aircraft."
Dietz said the company would invest $1.2 million on the venture, but wants the council to consider granting his company a 30-year lease with a 10-year option.