The request for a liquor license by a large sports complex in Green Oak Township had the Board of Trustees wrestling with a number of concerns.

Legacy Center has plans for a building a restaurant and with it would like a class C liquor license to sell beer, wine, and spirits. Representatives and their lawyer sat before the Green Oak board Wednesday night and fielded a host of questions, concerns, and fears from members. All on the board spoke about the positive relationship the township has had with Legacy and how they want them to succeed, but were concerned over their ability to control alcohol throughout the facility. The safety of children in an environment where tension between parents can already grow high repeatedly came up. Many board members spoke about not having an issue with alcohol being served in the restaurant, as it can be a nice draw for adult athletes after a game. However, with a class C license, the alcohol could be brought out of the building and into other parts of the complex, like in the stands.

Representatives from Legacy spoke about starting small and slow with the alcohol and highlighted the importance of bringing in experts to assist them through the process. Trustee Dan Rainko said it was hearing from owner Roger Gobel that his mind was changed. He said Gobel’s understanding of how that aspect of his business sinks or swims with how well they run it swayed it. He noted that the last thing they want to do as a business is with a big investment is mess anything up and become known as a place where people get loaded at. Rainko said that from experience, a liquor license is like gold and the last thing you want is the police coming in because something went wrong.

Supervisor Mark St. Charles said he believes everybody asked the right questions and that this wasn’t as simple a decision as when a regular restaurant wants a liquor license. He said this was a tough decision, but at the end of the day, they had to put some trust in Legacy that it’s going to be done right and done correctly. The board could only recommend approval or disapproval with reasoning as part o]f this process; they were not allowed to table it or add conditions. The 5 members present voted unanimously in favor of positive recommendation. (MK)