Introduction

In early 2004 the management was again aggressively pursuing a liquor license for the establishment. Neighboring civic associations banded together to fight the application, sparked by Rebecca Krafft of Douglas Park and Lane Nemirow, a Douglas Park lawyer whose legal research and hearing skills enabled the coalition to field a strong case against adding liquor sales to an already volatile mix of clients.

The material below gives background, but the exciting news is that in July of 2004 we won and Hi Cue's application was denied. Here is the Board's order.

Below is the background, with links to additional materials.

April Status

Subject: [bsclchat] FW: Brief update on yesterday's ABC hearing

Here is an update from Rebecca Krafft (Douglas Park) on the Hi Cue alcohol license hearing yesterday. It was quite interesting, if a bit long, to observe. If after all of this that Hi Cue still gets an alcohol permit, I have to wonder what exactly the ABC Board is doing.

Please, please write our elected officials and County staff to thank them profusely for their time testifying yesterday. All of the people listed below were at the hearing yesterday and testified in opposition to the license. County Attorney Stephen MacIsaac assisted in representing the citizen opposition in the hearing. Here are some email addresses to write them a thank-you:

Delegate Al Eisenberg
del_eisenberg@house.state.va.us

Delegate Adam Ebbin
del_Ebbin@house.state.va.us

Chris Zimmerman
countyboard@arlingtonva.us

Arlington County Attorney Stephen MacIsaac
smacisaac@arlingtonva.us

Thanks also to all of you who added your names to the petition, and who otherwise have been keeping the heat on us to make sure that this doesn't go down without a fight.

Eric Harold
President, Barcroft School and Civic League


-----Original Message----- From: Rebecca Krafft

Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Subject: Brief update on yesterday's ABC hearing

Thanks to everyone who has participated so far. The short update is that there is no decision yet. At the end of the five-hour hearing, the presiding official gave us ten business days to follow up with some additional requested documents. After the evidence collection is closed, she will consider the entire case. I'm not completely clear what happens next. She may rule against the applicant (and deny the license). Or, perhaps it may go to another stage of hearing? I'm not clear if she can grant it directly or if another hearing might follow. Maybe Lane or Steve MacIsaac can explain the next parts of the process.

Anyway, I think Randy Swart put it best--we did the best job we possibly could have.

A special thank you goes to Lane Nemirow, who guided a long, complex, and well-directed examination of our opposition to the application at the hearing, and did an excellent job researching and preparing our case in recent weeks.

Also thanks to our elected officials who testified - Al Eisenberg, Adam Ebbin, Chris Zimmerman - and to county attorney Steve MacIsaac, Lt. Jim Daly and ACPD records supervisor Irene Brown, and the community participants: Reid Goldstein and Eric Harold, Paul Benda and Inta Malis of Columbia Forest, and all the members or our ad hoc committee who helped compile the petition and testimony and encourage the participation of our elected officials.

Rebecca

The ABC hearing was four hours long. Here are the Quick Notes from that hearing.

From the Barcroft News, March, 2001:

Murder at the Pool Hall

Tim Lynch of the Columbia Pike Renovation Organization organized the traditional after-the-murder meeting, including representatives of the pool hall, the property owners, Police Chief Edward Flynn, Third Police District Commander Steve Holl, the officer who had been guarding Hi-Cue (but was responding to a nearby police call at that moment), BSCL President Mark Wigfield, several other Barcrofters, other nearby civic associations and two County Board members: Chairman Jay Fisette and member Charles Monroe.

After two hours the meeting concluded with almost no results. Charles Monroe will check with the County on possible restrictions to Hi-Cue's business license, but doubts that the County can do much. The owners are waiting for our ideas on what to do, but refuse to consider terminating Hi-Cue's 2003 lease, even if more murders occur. CPRO is trying to keep the lines of communication open. The police have been doing a great job of keeping the lid on Hi-Cue and will continue to do their best. Hi-Cue will continue to hire off-duty police officers to keep order in the pool hall and parking lot on weekends. In short, Hi-Cue goes on.

In the longer term, the shopping center is overdue for renovation, and the owners are considering that. One Barcrofter present noted that our only recourse seems to be to make it uneconomic somehow for the owners to keep tolerating the pool hall, since all leases can be terminated if owners really want to. If anybody has ideas about that, please contact Mark Wigfield at 703-979-0339.

Barcroft needs a new Crime Resistance Committee Chair, too.

Other references on this Web site:

• Quick Notes on the hearing on Hi Cue's application to sell booze.

• Delegate Eisenberg's letter on our behalf.

• Delegate Eben's letter on our behalf.

• A sample letter from a Barcroft resident

• The Murders at the Pool Hall

• The Barcroft News of March, 2001 (the article reproduced above)

• A letter from County Board member Chris Zimmerman

• A letter from CPRO on the problem.

• Minutes of our September, 2002 discussion of the liquor license application.

• The law under which the ABC Board can deny the license application.

• Info and Talking Points Sheet for the ABC Board hearing on Monday, April 19, 2004.

• Notes from the April 19, 2004, hearing.

• The ABC Board's July decision denying the application.

• A Civic Federation award for Rebecca Krafft, sparkplug for our opposition to the liquor license.
  
  
  

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  This page was revised on: March 2, 2006.