Business owners, residents debate public alcohol change | News, Sports, Jobs
News Photo by Steve Schulwitz
The Black Sheep owner Kris Conger pours a beer for a customer on June 4. She said the bar will register with the state to participate in a social district in Alpena, which would allow residents and tourists to drink publicly in limited areas downtown.
ALPENA — Some business owners will not allow alcohol in their stores when a planned so-called “social district” launches in downtown Alpena as early as next month.
But downtown officials remain confident enough business owners will sign on to make the social district — which permits people to purchase an alcoholic beverage at a participating business and consume it at publicly owned parks, sidewalks, and certain other businesses — successful at boosting tourism and business traffic downtown.
The Alpena Downtown Development Authority proposed the idea, the Alpena Municipal Council signed off on it last month, and the state has approved.
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