The Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 School Board is considering putting its two cents’ worth in on the controversy over whether to eliminate an existing liquor ban at the Montezuma County Fair-grounds.

At the board meeting Tuesday night, board president Steve Hinton proposed that a resolution be drafted opposing any change to the existing liquor restriction. To allow alcohol use at the fairgrounds, Hinton said, would send the wrong message.

"I think it’s in place for a purpose," he said. "The youth of our community was the driving force that built that facility out there. 4-H, FFA and county-fair-type people went out and provided help and material. Their families were out there building pens, corrals, welding and donating their time."

The county commissioners are considering lifting the ban of alcohol sales and possession at the fairgrounds — an idea that surfaced when promoters of the Four Corners Iron Horse Motorcycle Rally, currently held in Ignacio every year on Labor Day, announced that they hope to move the rally to Montezuma County in 2002.

Hinton said the resolution would not be a response to the biker rally, but a blanket statement about the use of the facility in respect to alcohol.

"I’m not going to address any of the functions," Hinton said. "They can have that bike rally on the courthouse steps if they want."

Board member Renee Reed said she would support such a resolution because she thinks allowing alcohol would potentially change the usage of the fairgrounds to events not centered around kids.

"Our youth have little enough to do in this community," Reed said. "Our fairgrounds was built for them — for 4-H, for FFA and high-school rodeos — and I think that those are very valuable things for our youth."

Board member Orly Lucero also said he agrees with Hinton’s proposal for a resolution that would express Re-1’s position on the issue.

"I would support it (the resolution) 100 percent," Lucero said.

Hinton said he has also sought out support from school administrators and staff as well as exploring other avenues through which members of the community can express their concerns about lifting the alcohol ban.

"I lobbied the sheriff’s posse, the San Juan Basin Farm Bureau, the Southwest Colorado Livestock Association and a couple other school boards to do the same thing and it appears that most of them are going to do that," Hinton said.

The proposed resolution has yet to be written and approved by the Re-1 school board but Hinton expects to have full support of the members.

"I’m going to move it along and head it up," he said. " I plan to get some ideas on how people want it to read and get it in place hard and fast."

Hinton said the school board will take action on a resolution at the next board meeting scheduled for March 6.

"It will be on the agenda to be read and adopted," Hinton said.

Reed added that she thinks the school board should speak out about the future of the fairgrounds because it directly affects the interests of Re-1 children.