Tower Hill matter tabled after owner asks for longer serving time

LACONIA — A request to extend the hours of a popular Weirs Beach nightspot was tabled by the Planning Board after the owner said his main objective was to be able to serve alcohol for another half hour or so.

Anthony Santagate had applied for permission to continue offering live entertainment until 2 a.m. — an hour later that is currently permitted.

But when Santagate appeared before the board Tuesday evening, he said it was doubtful that the entertainment would run later than 1 a.m., rather, what he really wanted to do was to serve drinks later.

“I don’t want to lose the opportunity to make the (additional) money which I would have if I could serve later,” he said.

He told the board that the state had previously given him permission to stay open later “on a couple of occasions.”

“The application has no mention of serving to a later hour,” Planning Director Dean Trefethen told the board. “We have no authority to extend alcohol serving hours.”

"Well, I guess it's back to the drawing boards," Santagate said after the board's seven members voted unanimously to table his application. 

Since 2014 state law has allowed for a 2 a.m. closing time, but only in communities that have affirmatively voted beforehand to let its bars and restaurants stay open until that time.

The hours set by law are the maximum allowed, and any establishment, whether a store, restaurant or bar, can set its own hours within that 6 a.m.-to-1 a.m. time frame. Most late-night establishments warn patrons closing time is coming by announcing “last call.” By law, all alcoholic drinks need to be consumed within 30 minutes of the deadline for ordering.

Laconia has not opted for the additional serving time.

Liquor Commission spokesperson E.J. Powers said communities who opt for the later time do not need to notify the agency that they have done so, but said the only city it is aware of that has done so is Berlin.

Extending the serving time would require amending the City Code, which would ultimately need to be approved by the City Council.

According to City Manager Scott Myers, amendment proposals originate with either the Planning Board or the City Council. If the Planning Board initiates the process, it would need to vote whether to consider an amendment, and would then schedule a public hearing. The board would then vote whether to recommend the council approve or reject the amendment. The council can then decide to accept the Planning Board’s hearing in which case it could vote immediately on the amendment as soon as it is referred by the board. Alternatively, it could decide to hold its own public hearing and then vote on the amendment after the second hearing.

Myers said the process could take between two and three months to run its course.