The Common Council is meeting 01/15/2025 at 7PM.
There are not a lot of action items on the agenda and most of those items did not generate much discussion during committee meetings.
The one item that did result in a lot of discussion was the Class B Beer and Reserve Class B Liquor License application for Delaire’s. This item first appeared before the Safety and Licensing Committee in early October and has been held up as the city looked into concerns that David Boulanger, the owner, planned to run the establishment as a gambling lounge similar to the one he had tried to open in the Village of Grafton.
The business was initially presented as coffee house that would also serve a curated selection of spirits, wines, and craft beers. Eventually, in response to concerns, Mr. Boulanger presented a revamped business plan in which he stated, “Delaire’s will offer a diverse menu of drinks, like other bars that you would typically find in the Appleton area, except ours includes board games as our focus […] Board Games are great for all ages! Whether you are in your early 20s looking to play a fun game of Card Against Humanity, or perhaps you are older and a bit more nostalgic, and you would like to play a game of Monopoly. Whatever you are looking for, Delaire’s is sure to have it. It’s time to get off your phone and have a fun night out at Delaire’s.”
Mr. Boulanger told the Safety and Licensing Committee that the business model had already been proven in West Bend, WI as demonstrated by The Boardroom which was run by his brother-in-law. A brief internet search by Alderperson Katie Van Zeeland (District 5) revealed that The Boardroom advertised the availability of gambling machines on the premises.
Mr. Boulanger was accompanied by his attorney Emil Ovbiagele who indicated he was very familiar with state gaming laws and the enforceability loopholes pertaining to those laws. Mr. Ovbiagele told the committee, “[T]here will be no gaming machines in there. It’s going to be a board game spot.”
While having gambling machines on the premises would be a violation not only of state law but also of Municipal Code and therefore something that would be enforceable by the city without state involvement, there was some discussion of placing a stipulation on the license explicitly noting that gambling machines could not be on the premises. In the end the committee did not include such a stipulation and recommended the license application for approval without amendment. We will see if any of the alderpersons will try to make such an amendment to the license during the Common Council meeting.
View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1245454&GUID=8EF6FBA5-F2E7-4481-B4F6-4911589F38F4
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