STURGIS - Meade County commissioners narrowly approved ownership transfer of beer and liquor licenses for a popular Sturgis motorcycle rally site Wednesday afternoon.
Approval of the liquor license gives Glencoe Entertainment LLC the authority to sell on Sundays. That license was transferred from Glencoe CampResort and Rock'N the Rally, a campground and amphitheater east of Sturgis.
Commissioners voted 3-2 to support the motions. Dayle Hammock, Robert Mallow and Gary Cammack favored the transfer. Alan Aker and Doreen Allison-Creed cast dissenting votes.
Aker said he opposed the licenses because some of the land encompassed in the use area is classified as agricultural. He cited the conflicts of commercial use in a designated agriculture setting at an earlier meeting.
"I had some people support the position I gave last time," Aker added. "Nobody tried to change my mind."
Aker earlier this month also expressed concern that the alcohol licenses covered 492 acres. He said he reconsidered and decided that approved applicants should be able to determine their business operations and that an entire property should be considered licensed as a bar.
Cammack said that the business already exists, and it does the same thing every year. He said that made the process straightforward for him.
"We were considering a transfer of a license," Cammack said, explaining his vote. "The considerations are character and location."
County personnel conducted background checks and did not report anything that merited blocking the new applicants from taking over the operation, he said.
Michelle Lamphere manages Glencoe's bar operation and said the food stand, pavilion and nearby patio will serve as on-site sale points. She said that an internal security and management plan will be implemented, and customer identifications will be checked.
In a separate application, the commission granted the retail on-off sale malt beverage application for Daly LLC & Hide Away Lounge near Sturgis.
Action on the license was tabled earlier this month because the business had not paid county property taxes. Auditor Lisa Schieffer said the taxes were paid June 8.
