Pennington Borough is trying to sell a liquor license again and has dropped the minimum bid it will accept for such a license to $225,000.
By John Tredrea, Special Writer
Pennington Borough is trying to sell a liquor license again and has dropped the minimum bid it will accept for such a license to $225,000.
”A few people have told me they’re interested” in bidding on a license “if the price is reasonable,” Mayor Anthony Persichilli said at Monday night’s Borough Council meeting.
After some discussion, the council voted, 3-2, in favor of advertising for bids on the license, with $225,000 being the minimum acceptable bid.
In February 2011 the borough offered the license with the minimum bid of $300,000. There were no takers, nor were there any in July of that year, when the minimum bid was dropped to $275,000.
The type of license Pennington is offering for sale is known legally as a plenary retail consumption license. Such licenses go to establishments, such as restaurants, that serve alcohol. The license in the borough would be restricted to restaurants that seat at least 60 people and offer table service by a waiter or waitress, from a menu.
The Borough Council has supported the idea of offering the license for sale because of the possibility of raising significant revenue during an era of tight municipal budgets and economic hardship. Declining state aid to municipalities has been a key factor in the revenue drop.
Two Hopewell Township establishments that are close to the Pennington Borough line serve alcohol. They are Wildflowers Inn, at the Pennington Circle, and Diamonds, in the Pennington Shopping Center.
Hopewell Borough also has plenary retail consumption licenses. Pennington is the only dry town in Mercer County.
Voting in favor Monday in night of offering the license for sale were Glen Griffiths, Jim Davy and Dina Dunn.
Eileen Heinzel and Tom Ogren voted no, saying the borough might get a better deal if a large restaurant opened on undeveloped land between Broemel Place and state Route 31. Weed Tucker was absent.
”There is nothing planned nor anything in the works for that land,” Mr. Griffiths noted. Ms. Dunn asked if it were possible to wait six months to better assess the possibility of a restaurant opening between Route 31 and Broemel Place.
The mayor replied that waiting six months would “affect the interest” of one of the two prospective bidders who have spoken to him recently about the matter.