Liquor-license application for Woolley's bar tabled after county raises septic and health concerns

The Ramsey County Commission tabled review of a liquor-license application for a business referred to in the packet as Woolley’s after county staff and a health representative described a failed septic system and a prior temporary holding-tank solution.

Commissioners said township officials raised concerns that the facility had not been brought up to code since a holding tank was installed in 2019 and that there are reports of sewage being pumped onto the ground behind the building. County staff and the health representative said an engineered septic system will be required and recommended state or district environmental health inspect the site before the county takes further action.

One commissioner summarized: the county is not trying to deny a license by default but wants to ensure the facility meets food-and-lodging and public-health requirements before licensing. Another commissioner recommended tabling the application to give state health time to review and to allow county staff to check local ordinances that govern liquor licensing. The commission voted to table the application until the next meeting and request follow-up from district/state health and county staff.

The transcript records that the temporary holding-tank was allowed in 2019 with the expectation of a subsequent engineered septic plan that, to staff’s knowledge, had not been submitted. Staff and a health representative emphasized the need for a permanent engineered system rather than another temporary fix.

The commission carried the motion to table by voice vote; the item will return to the agenda after health inspections and staff recommendations are provided.