At its Oct. 10, 2013 meeting, the Alcohol Beverage Board of St. Mary's County highlighted ongoing Responsible Alcohol Service Training (RAST) activities, recognized local donors, and reviewed routine enforcement inspections.

Board administrator Tammy Hildebrand read letters of thanks to Guy Distributing (attention Mark Guy) and the Community Alcohol Coalition (attention Jenna Mulligan) for donations of driver's-license guides and ID-check kits used in RAST. Hildebrand noted that the RAST program is funded by a grant from the Maryland Highway Safety Office but said funding is limited; donated materials help stretch grant funds and supply establishments with ID-check tools. The board said donated materials include ID check kits with a black light and magnifying glass to examine microprint and other security features.

Hilidebrand announced a RAST session scheduled for Nov. 26, 2013, and said license holders may contact the board office to register. She also said new "tipsy taxi" cards were printed and holders of current cards could swap them for the new cards for the grant year.

The board reported that Retriever's Grill (formerly the Old Monks location in St. Inigoes) went out of business and that its license expired Sept. 27, 2013. Hildebrand said there had been informal discussions about transfer possibilities but no transfer occurred and the license expired.

Board Inspector Gordon Thompson reported 16 inspections in September and follow-up checks for noncompliance. Thompson said he inspected Coles Point Tavern by water with assistance from the Maryland Natural Resources Police and found issues that were subsequently corrected. He also reported modest improvement in signage for underage drinking and exterior no-drinking parking signs, but said more work remains.

David Dent of the St. Mary's County Licensed Beverage Association notified members of association and community meetings on Nov. 5 and Oct. 22 and encouraged licensees to attend association events.

The board reiterated that donations and community partnerships have supported local enforcement and training and said continuing participation in RAST supports reductions in underage sales.