The Dairy Barn Art Center might soon sell beer and liquor during events, pending a statement from Athens City Council members to a state agency.
The center, 8000 Dairy Ln., applied for the D5H liquor license in January, and the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Liquor Control recently approved the request, said Matt Mullins, spokesman for state Liquor Control.
“(The license) allows the holder to sell beer and intoxicating liquor in retail by individual glass or containers on the premises,” Mullins said.
The D5H license is for arts museums use only, according to the Division of Liquor Control’s website.
But the license cannot become official until city council members submit a statement to liquor control asserting whether they object to the license or not, he said.
Although council members have not submitted a statement to liquor control at this point, Council President Bill Bias said he didn’t expect anyone on council to object, adding that he is in favor of the new license.
“It will help the Dairy Barn with extremely challenging economic times to supplement its income with being able to sell liquor,” he said.
A specific date has not been set for the council members to send the statement, he added.
The center currently has an F2 liquor license, which must be applied for on an event-by-event basis, said Andrea Lewis, executive director of the center.
Once Liquor Control accepts the center’s F2 application to serve alcohol during events, it has 48 hours to sell the drinks, but cannot sell past 1 a.m., she added.
To operate under an F2 license, center officials must fill out applications, pay $50 to $150 and notify the local authorities each time they serve alcohol at an event, she said.
Although the D5H license costs $1,875, Lewis said she believes the money accumulated from liquor sales will be worth the high fee.
“If you think about hosting multiple (art) events, you very quickly can get to this number,” Lewis said.
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