Joe Drennan
Staff Writer

The BP station at the CR-23/I-35 interchange has submitted an application for a liquor license to Anoka County to sell 3.2 liquor at its store.

For the county to grant approval it needs Columbus Townshipís approval. Anoka County Sheriffís Captain Robert Aldrich was at the Columbus Town Board meeting Wednesday, Jan. 11 to answer questions about what granting the license may mean to the township.

The town board had some questions about who can sell the 3.2 liquor and how the sheriffís office handles enforcement of the license.

Capt. Aldrich informed the board that no person under the age of 18 may sell liquor. At some stores the clerks have to swipe a card to sell liquor to verify that the clerk is 18 years of age Capt. Aldrich noted.

With the other question about enforcement, Capt. Aldrich explained that teenage children of deputies are hired for undercover sting operations. The teenager is told to go into establishments and see what they can buy.

ìMost times the kids are denied sale, and sometimes the clerk will then call the sheriffís office to report the attempted purchase,î Aldrich said.

ìWhen that happens the officer and teenager turn around and go tell the clerk it was an undercover sting operation and that they passed.î

Aldrich said that when a violation occurs itís often unintentional. The problem lies in the clerkís ability to do the math to determine if the under aged person is 21.

ìIn most stores now you see signs that if you were not born before this date you canít buy liquor,î Aldrich said.

Undercover sting operations hit every establishment in Anoka county that sells liquor twice a year to check compliance.

When an establishment fails a compliance check the local municipality is notified. Action against failing establishments varies depending on local codes.

The town board had approved a resolution to support the liquor license at the Dec. 28 meeting.

Public open forum

In recent months the public open forum has created some heated debates at Columbus Town Board meetings and last Wednesday night was no different.

Columbus resident and Columbus Concerned Citizens member Deb Davies approached the town board and asked them to consider removing Howard ìAndyî Anderson from the Columbus Planning Commission.

ìI request that Andy Anderson be removed from the planning commission for the same reason that Don Steinke was,î Davies said, ìfor having a negative impact on the incorporation process and acting against the best interest of the town.î

Davies claims that Andersonís lettesr to the editor in both the Forest Lake Times and Forest Lake Press of White Bear Lake are hurting the townshipís incorporation proceedings.

While Anderson was not present at the meeting to defend himself, some planning commission members asked the connection he and Steinke have.

ìI would like to defend Andy,î Peg Hoffman said. ìI donít think heís done anything wrong.î

The board discussed the dismissal of Anderson, but not one town board supervisor felt it was an appropriate move.

ìI did not vote to remove anybody,î Supervisor Glenn Miles said.

ìThis is the same scenario (as the Steinke one) in that a person can have an opinion, but that opinion doesnít make them wrong, itís their opinion.

ìThe same thing happened to Andy Anderson (that happened to Steinke) in that he drew his own opinion. I donít feel that any individual should be removed just because they offered their own opinion.î

Township Attorey Bill Griffith said every resident of the township has the right to state either opinions in the papers, but noted that the town board voted 5-0 in favor of incorporation and to oppose the annexation battle with the city of Forest Lake.

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Forest Lake Times
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