The Alexander City Outlook

Benson Community Center hearing set for Feb. 6

Alexander City Police Department Chief Charles Rafford recommended to the city council Tuesday that the business license for Benson Community Center not be renewed.

Rafford gave each council member a record of 47 incidents reported between March 2011 and Jan. 7 at the community center.

Owner Jeffery Benson received his business license to operate the center on April 26, 2011.

“We had numerous problems with the previous owner, and the problems have continued under Mr. Benson’s leadership,” Rafford said. “We’ve had a wide history of calls up there, especially calls from neighbors about loud music.”

Council member Bill Young said he can often hear the music at his residence.

“The music can be heard all the way down into our neighborhood,” Young said.

As previously reported in The Outlook, the Alabama Beverage Control Board and the ACPD carried out an undercover alcohol and drug operation at the community center on Jan. 7. Eleven individuals were arrested and charged with 18 separate charges.

Authorities seized eight grams of cocaine, ten grams of marijuana, 308 beers, 14 bottles of liquor, six bottles of wine, four pistols, one shotgun and approximately $1,600 in that raid.

The city council set a hearing for the renewal of Benson Community Center’s business license for Feb. 6 during the next council meeting.

“It is my wish we do not renew his license,” Rafford said. “I don’t see any good coming out of renewing it. It is a liability to the city and the safety of the community if we do that.

“If it comes across my desk – as every business license does – I will disapprove it,” Rafford added. “I can’t in good conscience sign off on a license where we have so many problems.”

Benson also applied for a liquor license within the past week, which Rafford said he also disapproved because of his pending charges with the ABC Board.

“I really can’t see the ABC Board granting him a license since they were involved in this incident,” Rafford said.

The council voted to table Benson’s liquor license request until after the public hearing.

In other council business, members unanimously approved the following:

- authorizing the mayor to dispose of a 1993 Ford three-quarter ton pickup truck with service body through govdeals.com.

- awarding a bid for police patrol vehicle equipment to Interceptor Public Safety Products of Opelika for a price of $20,460

- awarding a bid to McKelvey Chevrolet of Dadeville for five new Chevrolet Tahoe police interceptor vehicles priced at $134,421.50 and one new Chevrolet Tahoe administration vehicle priced at $26,201.75

- authorizing the mayor to execute an engineering contract amendment with Garver, LLC, for the rehabilitation of the apron area at T.C. Russell Airport for $5,968.20, with the city’s 2.5 percent contribution totaling $149.21

- reducing the paving contract with Gary Ingram Grading and Paving, Inc. at T.C. Russell Airport by $672 after an area of pavement was replaced and required additional inspection