Politics & Government

Update: Friends of Attleboro Zoo Seek One-Day Waiver to Serve Booze

Friends of the Capron Park Zoo are asking for a waiver from the city to sell beer and wine on city property.

Editor's Note: The story has been updated to reflect additional comments made by Joseph Hall, president of the Friends of Capron Park and Zoo on Wednesday morning. 

Attleboro's Friends of have requested a one-day waiver of the Attleboro City Council's Committee on Licenses to serve alcohol at its planned "Passport to Africa" fundraiser in September. 

Joseph Hall, president of the non-profit organization whose mission it is to support the education, conservation and recreation at the zoo, is hoping to be able to serve beer and wine at a major adult-only fundraiser on Sept. 17. He made the request at the council meeting Tuesday night.

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The fundraiser is expected to collect enough funds to replenish the $160,000 spent to support the zoo's lemur island boardwalk, splash pad space, food cooler, white lion and veterinary x-ray.

"Although we receive gifts throughout the year, the growth is not enough to keep our organization viable," Hall wrote in his request to the city council.

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While some city councilors, including Richard Conti, Peter Blais and William Bergevine, showed their support for the group's effort by telling Hall they would be his first ticket buyers, Councilor Water Thibodeau said he was not in support of the waiver. 

"If you want to do something like that you should choose a different venue to do it," Thibodeau said. "I think it should be hard and fast in prohibiting alcohol use anywhere on city property.

"If you open the door for one how can you close the door on the many others?" he added.

Councilor Cherie Felos echoed Thibodeau's thoughts.

"It sounds fabulous, " he said, "but how do we tell the next person no?"

"They will realize this is one time you say yes and other times you say no," Conti told Hall referring to his fellow councilors. 

Shannon Heagney, chairwoman of the city's licenses committee, said the request would be forwarded to the city solicitor to review whether the city could be sued if something that involved alcohol should happen at the event.

"This is a one time, one-day event," Hall said after the meeting. "Just because they yes to us, they don’t have to say yes every time to everyone. 

"If we can't have beer and wine we’ll probably still have it at the zoo, but without the alcohol," Hall said after the meeting on Tuesday. 

On Wednesday morning, however, Hall contacted Patch with additional comments. Hall said since receiving a permit last October, all of the group's planning has been under the assumption that alcohol could be served at the zoo. "We probabaly will have to postpone the event one year if we cannot have the event at the zoo or cannot serve alcohol."


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