Published: September 30, 2009 10:57 am      

Country club seeks alcohol sales

BELLEFONTE — The Bellefonte County Club is asking voters in one Greenup County precinct to approve the legal sale of alcoholic beverages at the establishment.

In a move county officials said came as a surprise, the country club submitted a petition last week to County Clerk Pat Hieneman with enough signatures on it to force a referendum on by-the-drink liquor sales.

Judge-Executive Bobby Carpenter signed an order Monday setting a special election on the issue for Dec. 1. Only registered voters in the Bellefonte precinct will be eligible to cast ballots.

Kentucky law does not ordinarily allow for local option elections in individual voting precincts, unless they are located within second-class cities. However, under a law passed by the General Assembly in 2000, the country club can seek a wet-dry vote because the country club has a golf course.

The 2000 law applies to nine- and 18-hole courses that meet U.S. Golf Association Criteria and are located in counties where residents have voted in whole or part to repeal prohibition. The “in part” provision was satisfied in November of last year, when Russell residents voted to approve alcohol sales at establishments that seat at least 100 and derive 70 percent of their income from the sale of food.

“It’s a great opportunity for the club,” Bellefonte Country Club General Manager Beverly Baldridge said in a prepared statement. “We understand that the voters in the city of Bellefonte will have the final say. We hope that they will find it appropriate to vote in favor of this issue and that the referendum will pass.”