00001 1 2 CITY OF MILWAUKEE 3 LICENSES COMMITTEE 4 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 5 In the Matter of: The Class "A" Liquor and Malt 6 application of: GURMEET K. DHILLON 7 Agent for: "RIDGE PLAZA, INCORPORATED" 551 West Becher 8 9 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 10 COMMITTEE MEMBERS 11 ALD. JAMES BOHL - Chair 12 ALD. MILELE COGGS - Vice Chair ALD. ASHANTI HAMILTON 13 ALD. T. ANTHONY ZIELINSKI ALD. NIK KOVAC 14 LICENSING DIVISION by REBECCA GRILL 15 POLICE DEPARTMENT by SEARGANT PAUL MACGILLIS OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY by ATTORNEY BRUCE SCHRIMPF 16 17 18 Proceedings had and testimony given in 19 the above-entitled matter, before the LICENSES 20 COMMITTEE OF THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE, on 21 the 8th day of December, 2008. 22 23 00002 1 P R O C E E D I N G S 2 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Gurmeet K. Dhillon, 3 Agent for "Ridge Plaza, Incorporated," Class "A" 4 Liquor and Malt application for "Best Liquor" at 5 551 West Becher Street in the 14th District. 6 Good morning to you. Raise your right 7 hand, we'll swear you in, please. 8 (Whereupon the Applicant was sworn.) 9 CHAIRMAN BOHL: And I'll need your name 10 and address for our record, please. 11 THE APPLICANT: My name is Gurmeet K. 12 Dhillon, and my address is 2003 South Wellspring 13 Drive, New Berlin, Wisconsin 53151. 14 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Thank you. Ms. 15 Dhillon, if you could actually grab that 16 microphone and pull it a little closer to you or 17 at least side up closer to it, that would help 18 us. Thank you. 19 Ms. Dhillon, do you acknowledge 20 receiving notice of today's meeting with the 21 possibility your application could be denied due 22 to neighborhood objections? 23 THE APPLICANT: Yes, sir. 24 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Thank you. Ms. Grill, 25 are there holds on this application? 00003 1 MS. GRILL: Department of Neighborhood 2 Services has a hold for occupancy, and the Health 3 Department has a hold for submittal of plans. 4 CHAIRMAN BOHL: You would need to get 5 those rectified. 6 THE APPLICANT: Um-hnh. 7 CHAIRMAN BOHL: This item is cited for 8 neighborhood objections. I will ask, are there 9 any residents here, either in favor or opposed to 10 the license, present to testify on the Class "A" 11 Liquor and Malt application for 551 West Becher? 12 If I could see a show of hands. I see three 13 individuals. Of the three who are present here, 14 which - - If I could see a show of hands of those 15 who are here in opposition. All of you - - all 16 of you are here present in support of the 17 license? Okay. Thank you. 18 Ms. Dhillon, do you want to just take a 19 brief moment and let us know what you're applying 20 for, how long you've been here, how you intend to 21 operate the license if you're granted it? 22 THE APPLICANT: Actually, you know, on 23 that property we made a laundromat about, I'd 24 say, about four years ago. And we are struggling 25 in that business bad. I have - - and that 00004 1 laundromat business, you know, under mortgage. 2 That's why, you know, we are trying to make a, 3 you know, we get approval, we can. 4 CHAIRMAN BOHL: This is not an existing 5 liquor store at this location. Is that correct? 6 THE APPLICANT: It's not, no, no. 7 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Okay. And because - - 8 THE APPLICANT: That was - - It was 9 laundromat. It is laundromat. 10 CHAIRMAN BOHL: And you're seeking to 11 convert it from a laundromat to a liquor store 12 than? 13 THE APPLICANT: To a liquor store, yes, 14 sir. 15 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Very good. Do you have 16 any experience with operating a liquor store 17 business? 18 THE APPLICANT: Yes, sir. 19 CHAIRMAN BOHL: And - - And what is 20 that experience? 21 THE APPLICANT: It was on Brown Deer, 22 we have Ridge Plaza Liquor. 8700 West Brown Deer 23 Road. 24 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Is that you and a 25 spouse? You and family that operate it or? 00005 1 THE APPLICANT: Yes, sir. 2 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Thank you. Questions 3 by committee? This is in the 14th District. 4 Alderman Zielinski, did you wish to hear 5 testimony first or? 6 ALDERMAN ZIELINSKI: Yes, I'd - - I'd 7 like to hear testimony first. 8 CHAIRMAN BOHL: I'm going to ask if - - 9 if residents were - - All right. We'll need to 10 swear all three of the individuals who are here 11 to testify, and if you could raise your right 12 hands at this time, please? 13 (Whereupon the witnesses were sworn.) 14 CHAIRMAN BOHL: If all three of you 15 could take seats in the front row here. Again, 16 if - - if you have limitations where you're 17 unable to use the standing microphone, you may 18 take a seat here in front of us. But, sir, 19 you're the first. If you could just go right to 20 the microphone. We'll get your name and address 21 for the record, please. 22 THE WITNESS: Pedro Gomez, 2064 South 23 6th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204. 24 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Thank you. Mr. Gomez, 25 your testimony, please. 00006 1 THE WITNESS: I just wanted to say that 2 I'm in favor of them getting their license. 3 They've been in the neighborhood for a number of 4 years and stuff, and they run their business - - 5 They have a couple of businesses in the area 6 already, and they run them pretty well, and I've 7 had no problems. I'm actually a neighbor to one 8 of their businesses, and if I've ever had a 9 problem, I've just asked them to correct it, and 10 they're pretty quick to correct any problems, if 11 there were any at all. 12 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Very good. Thank you 13 for your testimony. Questions by committee? No 14 questions by committee. All right. Thank you, 15 sir. Next witness, please. 16 THE WITNESS: Hi. My name is Katherine 17 Rosio. I live at 2160 South 5th Place. I have 18 known them for - - 19 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Ms. Rosio, you actually 20 can bend that microphone down if you would. 21 Thank you. 22 THE WITNESS: I've known them for about 23 16, 17 years, and seen no problems with them in 24 the neighborhood with, you know, with their 25 property with, you know, keeping it clean and 00007 1 keeping away the panhandlers that, you know, 2 would come by there. They're respectable in the 3 neighborhood. There has been no problems, so I'm 4 in favor for them getting a liquor license, and 5 for them to be able to, you know, bring their 6 business back up to what it was before the 7 recession. 8 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Could you - - Could you 9 give us, again, your address, please? 10 THE WITNESS: 2160 South 5th Place. 11 CHAIRMAN BOHL: And you said you've 12 known them for about 16 years, is it? 13 THE WITNESS: 16, 17 years. I've lived 14 in my place 17 years. And I knew the previous 15 owners that owned the place, and when they came 16 in, I got familiar with them, and I guess - - 17 They're good people. You know, they - - they 18 help out the neighborhood. They help out, you 19 know, kids, you know, everything, the people that 20 come in there. So I, you know, I'm definitely 21 for it, because of what they do for our 22 neighborhood. 23 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Very good. Thank you. 24 Questions by committee? Alderman Zielinski? 25 Ms. Rosio, if you could hold on, 00008 1 there's questions here. Thank you. 2 ALDERMAN ZIELINSKI: For purposes of 3 the record, I believe your address is within a 4 one - - one block radius of this location? 5 THE WITNESS: Yes, it is. 6 ALDERMAN ZIELINSKI: I just - - Thank 7 you. 8 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Other questions by 9 committee? Thank you, ma'am. Sir? 10 THE WITNESS: My name is Charlie 11 Wilson. I'm at 2122 South 6th Street. And I've 12 been in that house approximately ten years. And 13 I've known Dhillon and them for about that period 14 of time, and I don't see any problem. And I - - 15 Like they said, any time there was a problem, 16 they would correct it immediately, so. 17 ALDERMAN ZIELINSKI: Mr. Chairman? 18 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Alderman Zielinski. 19 ALDERMAN ZIELINSKI: And you live 20 approximately what distance from this location? 21 CHAIRMAN BOHL: One house away from the 22 gas station. 23 ALDERMAN ZIELINSKI: One house away 24 from this location. Thank you. 25 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Any other questions by 00009 1 committee? All right. Thank you. Alderman 2 Zielinski? 3 ALDERMAN ZIELINSKI: Given the fact 4 that there is first-hand neighborhood testimony 5 from people that live in close proximity to this 6 location, and given the fact that no one is here 7 to object, I would - - I would move approval. 8 CHAIRMAN BOHL: Okay. The motion by 9 Alderman Zielinski is to recommend approval, 10 despite items contained within the notice. Are 11 there any objections to that motion? Hearing 12 none, so ordered. All right. Thank you. Good 13 luck to you? 14 THE APPLICANT: Thank you very much. 15 * * * * 00010 1 2 3 STATE OF WISCONSIN ) 4 ) 5 MILWAUKEE COUNTY ) 6 7 I, JEAN M. BARINA, of Milwaukee Reporters 8 Associated, Inc., 5124 West Blue Mound Road, 9 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53208, certify that the foregoing 10 proceedings is a full and complete transcript of "BEST 11 LIQUOR" taken in the foregoing proceedings. 12 13 14 15 16 17 JEAN M. BARINA 18 Court Reporter 19 20 21 Dated this day of November, 2009. 22 23