City Council to consider alcohol licenses

MERCED -- The Merced City Council will hear a presentation on the sale of beer and wine at two new businesses at its regularly scheduled meeting Monday.

Family Dollar Store and a 7-Eleven store, proposed for the former BMC West lumber yard site at 16th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, have requested beer and wine licenses.

The state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would require a finding of "public convenience" because of the concentration of businesses selling alcohol in the area.

Without such a finding, the ABC will only allow two licenses in the census tract. Currently there are four.

The council also will consider nominating one of its members to the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Control District's governing board.

There's a vacant position for a representative from Merced County. City Councilmembers Josh Pedrozo and Mary-Michal Rawling have applied.

Councilman Craig Mooneyham from Atwater, Mayor Dennis Brazil of Gustine and Mayor Johnny Mays of Dos Palos also are seeking the seat.

The council also will consider setting a public hearing to discuss traffic calming devices on Rambler Road.

Residents on Rambler have complained that drivers use the street as a shortcut between M and R streets.

The council is being asked to schedule a Jan. 22 public hearing to consider traffic calming devices for the street.

The city's traffic calming guidelines require that the neighborhood pay for the cost of devices. It's esti- mated it would cost about $15,000.

The council meeting can be streamed live at www.cityofmerced.org/depts/ cityclerk/council_meetings/meeting_videos.asp.

Videos of council meetings will be available the next day on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/mercedcouncil.

The meeting will be held 7 p.m. Monday in the City Council Chambers, 678 W. 18th St., Merced.

Reporter Joshua Emerson Smith can be reached at (209) 385-2486 or jsmith@mercedsunstar.com.