Kosciusko County Alcohol and Tobacco Commission voted down a new license for a Phillips 66 convenience store in Warsaw Thursday, saying that there are other places to buy alcohol nearby. It was nothing personal, the board told Mohammed Shipan, owner of the store at 2518 E. Center St. It’s just that there are about seven other places to buy alcohol within three-quarters of a mile from the store, commission member Elim Smith said, so he didn’t see any need for the license. Smith noted it’s a stance the board has always taken, but state Excise Officer Dan Vredenburg said he didn’t think the board’s reason for denial fell within grounds specified by state law, and voted in favor of the renewal. He added that since no one attended the meeting to speak against the new license, he didn’t think the board’s decision can be said to be representative of what the community wants. Shipan will have another chance at approval if he appears at the next meeting of the state Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, which can overrule local board decisions, Vredenburg told him. Also Thursday, the board approved license transfers for George’s Pub, Etna Green, and El Cielo, Warsaw. The board approved several license renewals with no violations: Wawasee Golf Club, Syracuse; The Great Wall, Warsaw; Pizza King, both Syracuse and Silver Lake; Meijer, Warsaw; and Downtown Eatery and Spirits, Warsaw. The board postponed a renewal hearing for Kmart, Warsaw, which had received a small fine for a smoking sign violation a year ago, because no one representing the store was there to address the violation.
