FOUR HOUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING PLAYS BEFORE PACKED AUDIENCE
»U <U TJ
Before a hushed crowd of
some 100 onlookers, the Fair
bank City Council voted down
n Ordinance which would have
xtended the hours for liquor
..ipensmg establishments.
The Ordinance met stubborn
resistance from a large group
composed of local ministers,
teachers, social workers, local
businessmen, and owners of bars
outside the City limits.
Most of the objections centered
around the statement that increas
ing the operat.ng hours would
mean an increase in police prob
lems within the city.
Rev. Oliver Marson. spokesman
for the Fairbanks Ministerial Asso
ciation. pointed out the high inci
dence of liquor-based violations in
Fairbanks and asked if the liquor
dealers 'were ready to pay the costs
of extra patrolmen and the hospital
b.Ils for injuries caused in drunk
t brawl*
Many Arrests
He pointed out that last year
there were 1063 arrests made with
in the City that were directly con
nected with the liquor industry. He
stated that he would like to see
the State’s hours shortened, and to
see the bars closed at midnight,
rather than 2 a m.
Others brought out other reasons
for defeating the extension.
Chief of Police Zaveral stated
that increasing the hours would
mean increased arrests, and that the
jail facilities were already crowded.
Louise Ray, local school teacher,
spoke out against the effect drunk
en parents have on children.
Drunken Parents
Eugene Zink, local social worker,
told the Council of the problems
he has to cope with in dealing with
drunken parents.
Speaking out in favor of the Ordi
nance. E. Wally Wallace stated that
increasing the hours would bring in
more sales tax. and added "The ex
tension of three hours is not going
to make much difference.”
After an hour of discussion, the
Council defeated the Ordinance,
Councilman Boucher voting yes and
Councilman Cox abstaining.
discounts Discussed
City Manager Nordby presented a
group of letters from various oil
companies and asked that they be
read. The letters concerned the
matter of the fuel contract for the
City and the subject of special dis
counts to City employees. The mat
ter had been brought up the previ
ous week by Councilman Brewing
ton, who had stated he wanted to
know what was going on with
these discounts.
Several of the letters confirmed
Brewington’s statements that City
employees were getting discounts,
but went on to state that the same
discounts were given to groups of
State and Federal employees, as
well as to the employees of large
customers. All the letters stated that
sales tax was charged on all pur
chases.
You better check, you may have
been “Caught In The Sluice Box.”
Several of the letters also empha
sized the fact that Councilman
Brewington had come to them for
information, rather than they com
ing to him with complaints
After little discussion, the Coun
cil passed a motion by Councilman
Brewington to the effect that the
City would open, issue, or call for
no more bids until copies of the
amended budget had been checked.
Towing Bids
Councilman Cox then moved that
an exception be made in the case of
the towing and impounding serv ice.
However, when these bids were
opened, it was discovered that the
two bidders felt they could not bid
under the City's present specifica
tions. City Manager Nordby was in
structed to confer with the various
towing services and design a new
bid.
After receiving a petition signed
by over 300 area parents, the Coun
cil instructed the City Attorney to
draw up an Ordinance providing
that children between 13 and 16
could operate motor scooters under
a program of strict supervision.
Councilman Cox objected, saying
that he feit it was a menace to the
community to have 13 to 16 year
olds dr.vmg motor scooters on the
City streets.
Councilman Brewington com
mented on the possibility of a water
shortage next summer, stating, “It
seems were getting out of water
faster than we thought.”
MUS manager Robert Wade ex
plained that if water use increased
as much as it had in the last year,
and if there is another high peak
1 of water useage as there was last
summer, water rationing may have
to be enforced or untreated water
will have to be let ir. the mains.
So Storage
"We actually can bring more wa
ter through the filter.'' Wade said,
“we just don’t have a place to
store it."
Wade hastened to point out that
untreated water would not be poi
son. but that it would make the
water harder, making it more diffi
cult to wash clothes.
Councilman Brewington pointed
out that this is just one more reason
why it is necessary to pass the $2
million bond issue for water system
improvements this April.
Requests Policy
Ron Davis of the Northern Com
mercial Co. requested a Council
declaration of policy on the widen
ing of Barnette St., as his firm was
planning on clearing let 36 of build
ings and paving it for a parking
lot.
Davis explained that N'C. Co.
wanted to preserve the basement
of the building on Barrette St. He
said plans were to roof the base
ment with Jour inch reinforced
concrete and then pave it.
He said if Barnette were widened,
it would encroach on one wall of
the basement, necessitating the
construction of a new wall. Since
his firm plans to begin razing
buildings before the snow is gone,
he said he needed to know what
should be done about the base
ment before the contracts are let.
After several extensions, a weary
Council finally quit their chambers
on the third floor of the Federal
Building at approximately 11:45
p.m.
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and relax your cares away.
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