Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Licenses Permits topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Licenses committee tables May’s Pies & Pints application after fire; license protected
Summary
After hearing from owner Kelly Dean about plans to preserve and expand outdoor service following a fire, the Kenosha Licenses & Permits Committee tabled May’s Pies & Pints’ license application and agreed to protect the applicant’s current license while awaiting insurance, inspection and premises changes.
The Kenosha Licenses and Permits Committee on May 12 tabled an application from May’s Pies & Pints for a Class B beer and liquor license and a permanent outdoor extension after a lengthy applicant hearing and legal review. Owner Kelly Dean described a post-fire recovery plan centered on an existing outdoor serving area and patio that she said was not damaged by the blaze and on retrofitted shipping-container service structures and family-oriented gardens to maintain the business while rebuilding the indoor space.
“After our fire, we are continuing our work on the outdoor portion of our property, which was unaffected,” applicant Kelly Dean said, describing 15 picnic tables and existing patio seating and plans for a branded outdoor garden and service containers. Dean said the city fire investigation was complete and that insurers will conduct their own 30-day review before a demolition and rebuild.
Deputy City Attorney advised caution. He told the committee it is not illegal to license premises that include a burned structure but warned that granting a license now could authorize alcohol sales from an unsafe area and strip the committee of control over the licensed premises once a license is in effect. He recommended either deferring the application to a date certain or tabling it so committee members can clarify whether the burned area will be excluded from the licensed premises on return.
The committee asked detailed operational questions — bathrooms, accessible units, fresh water access and hours — and raised concerns about whether the site in its current condition could support 12-hour, seven-day operations. Dean said she planned service from a USDA-licensed bakery produced at a separate Lake Mills facility and that any on-site food service would be an outlet for goods prepared elsewhere.
After discussion, the committee moved to table the application and explicitly agreed to work with the current license holder to ensure the active license is renewed so the applicant will not lose the ability to obtain the license when the site is cleared and rebuilt. The motion carried by voice vote with the chair recording an aye.
What happens next: The committee instructed staff to coordinate with the city attorney and the current license holder to preserve the license while the applicant resolves insurance and inspection issues; members said they want the burned structure removed or the licensed premises redefined before final approval.
Clarifying details: The application packet listed the business address and projected economic numbers; the deputy city attorney noted that the premises description in the file still included the burned area and recommended committee scrutiny. Dean said insurers requested roughly 30 days to complete their review and that demolition and rebuilding plans would follow. The committee did not set a firm return date; tabling preserves the ability to revisit the item once conditions are clearer.
The committee’s action means no immediate license or outdoor operations are authorized at the site until the matter returns for formal consideration or the licensed premises are redefined.
