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Rangely council denies California Walk LLC liquor license application, urges reapplication with qualified manager
Summary
After a public hearing, Rangely council voted to deny a preliminary liquor-license application from California Walk LLC, citing concerns about the listed owner’s fitness to hold the license and missing or private background materials; the council encouraged reapplication with the owner’s son or another qualified manager added to the LLC.
Rangely’s town council voted to deny a preliminary liquor-license application from California Walk LLC for 321 East Main, Units 5 and 6, after hearing testimony from the applicant’s representatives, the town’s liquor-license agent and the police chief.
Kelly Clark, who introduced herself for the applicant, outlined the multi-step process the business must complete: local preliminary approval, state licensing, manager and server certifications and local inspections. "Kelly Clark representing California Walk," she told the council, emphasizing that state approval would follow any favorable local recommendation.
An applicant representative described operational plans, saying the business would be staffed and that the owner’s son would manage alcohol service. "There are not a lot of eateries here in Rangely, and it's now a competitive market," the representative told the council, arguing the restaurant would serve local needs and that staff would be state-trained.
The town’s liquor-license agent, Marybel Cox, reported on her inspection and raised compliance issues the council considered material to the decision. "I did witness that there was an open container in the kitchen," Cox said, and she noted that some supporting background material (FBI/CJIS reports) was withheld from the public packet for privacy but had been reviewed by staff.
Council members repeatedly described concern that the licensed owner as listed on the application could leave the town without a reliable, certified manager on the license. Several council members recommended the applicant return with the owner’s son or another qualified manager added to the LLC to remove uncertainty about who would control service and compliance.
After deliberation a council member moved to deny the application as submitted; the motion was seconded and the council recorded aye votes and carried the motion. The council directed the clerk to issue a denial letter explaining the reasons and to convey recommendations on how the applicant might improve a future application. Staff said the state application fee (discussed in the meeting as roughly $1,200–$1,500) had not been forwarded and could be returned to the applicant.
The council’s denial is a local recommendation: the town makes a local licensing decision that the state then reviews as part of its final licensing process. The council invited the applicant to return to a future meeting with the recommended changes in ownership or management structure.
