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Town Council OKs Snappy Mart liquor license request

SILVER CITY â The Snappy Mart on Swan Street will soon be able to sell packaged alcohol.







Randal Seyler, Silver City Sun-News Published 12:18 p.m. MT April 13, 2016 | Updated 2:40 p.m. MT April 13, 2016 
W&N Enterprises owners Debbie and Jim Nennich, from left, listen while former mayor Michael Morones speaks in favor of the Nennichs' request to transfer a liquor license from the defunct Red Barn to a Snappy Mart store on Swan Street during Tuesday's Town Council meeting.(Photo: Randal Seyler/Sun-News)Buy Photo

The Silver City Town Council unanimously approved a request to transfer ownership of a liquor license with a waiver for alcohol sales near a church or school on Tuesday night after nearly 30 people, including community business leaders, showed up in support of W&N Enterprisesâ request for the license.

W&N Enterprises owners Jim and Debbie Nennich presented their case for the transfer in a public hearing.

âWe are just asking for a level playing field,â Jim Nennich told the council. âCVS came in 2014 and they sell liquor, and they are our direct competition.â

Not only does CVS sell beer and wine, they also sell chips, nuts, jerky and other snacks which are a staple of the Snappy Martâs business.

âThatâs where we make our money, on chips and candy bars,â Nennich said.

The license previously belonged to the Red Barn and the Watering Hole, and it is being bought by W&N Enterprises for use at the Snappy Mart located at 1801 N. Swan St.,on the corner of Highway 180 and Swan across the street from CVS.

Two elders from the First Presbyterian Church of Silver City, Anne Sherrell and Sherrie Lavelle, spoke against the alcohol license transfer.

âWeâre a small church, and weâve been here since 1883, and in our current location since the 1960s,â Lavelle said. âWeâve been asked to not oppose this license transfer, and weâve even received a letter from their attorney.â

The First Presbyterian Church is located at 1915 N. Swan St., and the church plays host to many community meetings, including Alanon, Lavelle said.

Due to the proximity of the church to the store, the city was required to grant the waiver for the license transfer. âOur church has no policy against alcohol,â Lavelle said. âWe just are asking that the council follow the law.â

Sherrrell noted that the state liquor license quota for Silver City was five licenses, but there areÂ 10 licenses in town.

âI want to thank the church for standing up here today,â Nennich said. âI really pushed for them to be here and itâs right for them to express their opinion.â

Former Mayor Michael Morones spoke on behalf of W&N Enterprises, and noted that historically, the site where the Snappy Mart is located had been a location that sold liquor in the past.

âNo one wants to walk out of their church and look at a bar,â Morones said, âbut in this case, you are looking to return to what was originally there. This is a chance to support a local business.â

In other business, the council approved a new license for Fry House Wings & Fries. The business is expanding the size of the restaurant, and ownerÂ Ron Quintana told the council the state required that they reapply for a new license. There was no opposition to the request and the council approved it unanimously.

The council also approved an ordinance authorizing the town to issue $800,000 in bonds to buy two new garbage trucks so the town can start collecting recycling. The bond money will also pay for new recycling containers for the public if the grant the city has applied for doesn't cover the cost of the containers, City Manager Alex Brown said.

The new recycling service will not result in a solid waste rate increase for city residents, Brown added.

"Just so everyone knows, we want to state that there is going to be no rate increase, and no tax increase for residents," Councilor Cynthia Ann Bettison said.

Brown said he expects the new recycling procedures to be in place by September.

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