Board approves two retail liquor licenses, including new shop in Ute Mountain Ute-owned building

Montezuma County commissioners on Feb. 10 approved two retail liquor-license items: a new license for New Chu Market LLC and a renewal for Bubba Jay's LLC.

Jerry Frizzell, the county's liquor-license coordinator, presented the first application for New Chu Market LLC and described the proposed liquor sales area as an interior, walk-up window within a building owned by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Frizzell told the board the sheriff had polled the area and reported no opposition. The state inspection was pending or scheduled; Frizzell said the applicant had corrected the items the state flagged.

Several commissioners questioned whether the proposed liquor sales would change the exterior footprint or increase traffic; Frizzell and staff said the liquor area is fully contained inside and "it's just literally a walk up window," and that the high-impact permit in place accounted for traffic. One commissioner said they would vote "reluctantly" given perceived community impacts but acknowledged the application was compliant.

The board noted inconsistent address information in application paperwork and polling forms (entries showed 158 Highway 491, 182 Highway 491 and other variants); the board accepted administration's direction to rely on the county application form and moved forward. The motion to approve New Chu Market's retail liquor license carried by voice vote.

The board then considered a renewal for Bubba Jay's LLC (doing business as Bubba's) at 18806 Highway 491 in Lewis. The sheriff's office reported no violations; commissioners approved the renewal by voice vote.

Both approvals were made on the record with the clerk and staff present. Commissioners emphasized that approvals were based on compliance with county and state requirements and on the sheriff's polling; several commissioners expressed community concerns while voting in favor because the applications met legal requirements.