The City of Prescott is holding its last liquor license close.

Proprietors of a downtown bar and restaurant operation had their plan to separate their building into two licensed operations sent back to committee last Monday night.

But it was clear before that happened that it’s not likely that Two Rivers Saloon, owned by Two Rivers, LLC, will get a separate license.

Owners Matt Hoerning and Dave Grau told the council that they are investing $1 million into the building at 117 N. Broad St. that former was the Pilot House. On the lower level is Boat Drinks. The plan was to have separate licenses for both operations. The owners told the council the main reason for that is so both levels could have their own arcade license to have video gaming machines. State law doesn’t allow the machines on two separate levels.

The council was told that the plan was for Two Rivers Bar and Grill and Boat Drinks to be two separate businesses if the council granted the second liquor license.

“We want to do right by this community, right by this town,” said Hoerning. “We want to operate two separate businesses.

He said Boat Drinks would still serve its limited menu and cater to the boating crowd. The upstairs is being completely renovated.

“Boat Drinks has a very loyal following. What we’re doing upstairs is completely different,” he said. “We want to offer two different experiences.”

The two were both bartenders at the popular Smilin Moose in downtown Hudson and predicted that the new operation will draw people to town.

“The same thing can happen in Prescott,” said Hoerning. “”When we heard there might be a license available, we decided to apply.”

“When we’re investing this much, we think this is reasonable,” Hoerning said of requesting the last license.

The city in the past has decided to hold onto the last available tavern license in hopes of a major downtown development on the former Steamboat Inn property. Potential developers have said that any project there would require a liquor license.

Prescott has reached out to local townships in an effort to procure one of their licenses without success. Now, they are awaiting a new census count that they hope gains the city enough new residents to have another license available. They’re about 300 residents away from that threshold.

Until that time, it’s unlikely that another license would be granted by the council “This is our last one. This is a tough one for me,” council member Bailey Ruona said. “I’m not trying to be a Negative Nellie, but there are others who want it.”

“Three others would like it. You already have one but you want another,” said council member Rob Daugherty.

The business can operate two levels with one license, but it can’t be two separate businesses.

“We had it reserved for Steamboat,” said Mayor David Hovel. “I still say we keep it, we sit on it a little.”

“It’s not like we’re short of bars in town,” said Hovel.

Hovel said he understood the predicament the business was in with the vending license situation.

“You can only get licenses for one level, for Pac Man, piker machines,” he said.

“You’re dating yourself with Pac Man,” Daugherty pointed out to the mayor.

Initially, the council voted to deny the license request, but councilmember Galen Seipel pointed out that the request should have come through the licensing committee, so the matter was directed there.

Photo by John McLoone.