When a bar closes, a piece of me dies

Another day, another messed up blogger template. And I had all kinds of links to put in.

My preferred watering hole is being closed down for over a month by the city. One bitchy neighbor is getting her way it seems. Sure that is only part of the story but it appears to have been the deciding factor for the alderman to say suspend the liquor license. I feel bad for the bartenders. For most it is money they need to supplement their regular incomes. They rely on tips to make ends meet. To shut them down during the holiday season is brutal. They do very well over the Christmas holidays with the extra tips. Looks like they will get nothing but coal.

Another establishment may get the shaft next year as well. The Carleton Grange Pub is a place I haven't frequented that much. I have been in their a couple times. Today I saw a story in the local paper mentioning how street construction is going to take away the majority of their parking and could force the place to close. Street construction that is being paid by stimulus funds to create jobs is going to cause people to lose jobs. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen.

The dagger in the back of the owners of the Carleton Grange Pub is that this construction is supposedly to help more businesses come to the area. It mentions plans for restaurants and a market to open across the street from their location. So the government of St. Francis is willing to put one established company out of business to try to let newer unknown companies thrive in the future? That makes little sense. A new restaurant will come in and reap all the benefits at the cost of the CGP.

The new street would look to restrict even more parking for the Carleton Grange Pub. The city has taken spots away from them in the name of "traffic flow". What traffic flow? There is little traffic there right now.

The solution for the area is simple. Any new restaurant or market should not get any private parking areas. There should be a public lot for everyone to use. Put it in the middle of the plot and everything should work out fine.