The operator of the DekHockey facility at Crow Creek Park is seeking city approval to sell beer at the rink during the coming season.
Patrik Levesque, a Quad City Mallards player and organizer/operator of the Bettendorf DekHockey facility, is expected to make his proposal to the park board Wednesday (3/13). He made a similar request last year, but the board tabled that request to investigate the issue of allowing alcohol sales at the park.
If approved, it would be the first time a private enterprise would be allowed to sell alcohol in a city park on an on-going basis. The city's golf course and clubhouse sells beer and liquor at its facility, and areas have been designated near shelters at Crow Creek, Middle, Devils Glen and Veteran's parks where alcohol can be consumed.
But special permission is needed from the park board to consume or sell alcohol in the parks, and such requests normally involve a single event and not ongoing alcohol sales by a private group using the park.
The city allowed the DekHockey rink to be built in Crow Creek Park on top of the outdoor basketball court there, and the city paid more than $12,000 to help convert the court to DekHockey and install lighting of the rink. Levesque charges players to participate in the league and has not been required to pay rent to the city for use of the park for the hockey operation.
At last August's park board meeting, Leveque asked the park board for permission to sell beer Monday through Fridays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. during adult leagues. He said he wanted to add a deck at the hockey rink to make the area more professional and enable him to restrict consumption of alcohol to the deck area only.
City Attorney Greg Jager raised the issue of whether the use of the park for commercial alcohol sales also would require rezoning of the park from its existing agricultural zoning to a commercial zoning classification.
Editor's Note: DekHockey operator Patrik Levesque withdrew his request for a beer license prior to the park board's meeting Wednesday. The current DekHockey lease of the park property extends through October of this year.
