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Bethel Holds Its First Alcohol Task Force Meeting

The city's first Alcohol Task Force in recent history met on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at Bethel City Hall. Municipal, tribal, and business leaders were there to come up with ideas for addressing alcohol-related problems.
Christine Trudeau
/
KYUK

  

The city's first Alcohol Task Force in recent history met Tuesday night at Bethel City Hall. Municipal, tribal, and business leaders were there to come up with ideas for addressing alcohol-related problems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Alcohol Task Force set a list of goals with Bethel Mayor Richard Robb, who led the meeting. Community leaders attended, but not many members of the public were present.  

 

The idea of the Task Force was put forward by the Association of Village Council Presidents as the city considered applications for its third and final liquor license last year. Villages have gone so far as to request a declaration of emergency from the Governor because of increases they see in alcohol-related problems since legal alcohol sales began in Bethel. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is actively exploring the idea of a special meeting to be held in Bethel concerning these issues.

 

Those who attended included AVCP Board Chairman Raymond Watson, Tundra Women’s Coalition Executive Director Eileen Arnold, Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation President and CEO Dan Winkelman, Orutsararmiut Native Council Interim President Walter Jim, Bethel Police Chief Burke Waldron, Bethel City Manager Peter Williams, Mayor Richard Robb, Bethel City Council Member Mitchell Forbes, Bethel City Council Member Mark Springer, Bethel City Council Member Leif Albertson, Bethel City Clerk Lori Strickler, Bethel Search and Rescue President Mike Riley, YKHC Vice President of Hospital Services Jim Sweeney, Alaska Commercial Store Manager Seth Madole, Kusko Liquor’s Cezary Maczynski, and Lieutenant Lonnie Gonzales with the Alaska State Troopers.

 

The Task Force outlined five objectives: A "no sale" or “ban” list and a limit on sales for types of liquors and sale volumes per purchase; a public education campaign; tighter enforcement in villages; collecting and analyzing the data various agencies already have on alcohol-related problems; and keeping the area's legislators in the loop with an eye toward proposing legislation.

 

Credit Christine Trudeau / KYUK
/
KYUK

Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation President and CEO Dan Winkelman said that it has been decades since there has been a survey to assess the impact of Bethel liquor sales on the surrounding communities, and that YKHC plans to conduct one with Recover Alaska.

 

State Trooper Lieutenant Lonnie Gonzales suggested involving the District Attorney. Both Bethel Search and Rescue and the Tundra Women’s Coalition suggested public information campaigns.

 

Bethel AC Store Manager Seth Madole said that the company has been looking into creating a ban list, as other communities have done. The new ban list would block sales to repeat domestic violence offenders, for example. The Task Force discussed improving their system of tracking the number of bottles sold in a day to any single person.

 

The tone of the meeting was constructive, and the hopes of many might have been reflected in what AVCP’s Raymond Watson said. He gave up drinking in the 80s and began working in alcohol recovery treatment in the 90s.

 

“When you heal, it’s like a broken net: the mesh comes together and heals over time, and becomes very powerful over time. And that’s what we want to see in this town, for our children and our grandchildren,” said Watson. “We want the best for them. Every caring mother and father would want that for their children and that’s what I see this group doing. We want the best for our community.”

 

The next Alcohol Task Force meeting will be held May 15 and is open to the public.