The Columbia County Board of Commissioners will revisit the matter alcohol sales licensing for Fresco Café in Martinez on Tuesday.
During its regular session on Sept. 21, the board approved the suspension of the dessert shop’s beer and wine license pending the determination of a hearing in Atlanta on Oct. 8. Fresco Café was accused of selling distilled spirits without a license and of selling beer acquired from a retail outlet as opposed to a wholesale distributor.
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Ralph Armstead, co-owner of Fresco Cafe, submitted an application in August for a license to sell distilled spirits. Fresco Café is again on the board’s agenda for its regular meeting Oct. 5 in an item submitted by Licenses and Permits, this time with a staff recommendation that the shop’s application to sell distilled spirits license be denied.
When Armstead applied in April for a beer and wine license, he had originally indicated on the form that he was applying for the sale of distilled spirits but later removed it. The Georgia Department of Revenue found 16 opened containers of liquor during an inspection on Aug. 16. The position of the Licenses and Permits staff is that Armstead knowingly falsified his original application and was not reporting the sale of spirits.
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Another establishment, Tipsy Bar & Grill in Grovetown, is anticipating approval for its alcoholic beverage license, as its application, like Fresco Café’s request denial, is on the board’s consent agenda.
Other business includes two intergovernmental agreements. One is between Columbia County and the City of Harlem to approve the repair and resurfacing of Knox Road. The agreement would entail that the county would add the repair to its Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant, and that Harlem would reimburse the county 58% of the contract work.
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The other IGSA is between Columbia County and the United States for the county to procure roadway maintenance projects for Fort Gordon. According to this agreement, which would be recurring for 10 years and require annual approval by both the U.S. government and the Board of Commissioners, Columbia County would be reimbursed for all funds related to the project in addition to an 8% administrative fee.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering Columbia County with The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
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