GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The Good Hope City Council voted Monday night to allow Sunday alcohol sales beginning July 4, 2021. Alcohol will be sold from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. on Sunday and rules for Monday-Saturday to remain unchanged. This was welcomed news to Kolby Lawrence, owner of Cabin Fever Beverages, who addressed the council at the Monday night council meeting.
Lawrence was joined by Stash House co-owner Preston Prewitt to make their case for Sunday sales. Lawrence said, “Ultimately, there’s already sales in Cullman County. You have the lake that is wet as well as Stone Bridge.” He added, “We’ve got some property that we’ve had looked at by other restaurants that would like Sunday sales.”
While the case was being made for Sunday sales at the Good Hope meeting, representatives from several restaurants and businesses including Publix, Buffalo Wild Wings and Wal-Mart were also petitioning the Cullman City Council to make the same consideration.
In 2019, legislation was passed in Alabama that would allow counties and municipalities where alcohol sales had already been approved by voters to allow Sunday sales without ballot referendums. Mayor Jerry Bartlett and Councilmembers Terry Shabel, Susan Eller and Taft Dillashaw approved the ordinance change. Councilmembers Eric Phillips and Greg Brown were not in attendance at Monday night’s meeting.
“The City of Good Hope is I-65 oriented. We have the interstate. That’s what we have. We have a brand new 305 exit that is just starting to develop. This is just another way of enticing people to come and join us in Good Hope,” Mayor Bartlett said. “I am just doing it for the betterment of Good Hope.”
Councilmember Susan Eller explained that several retailers and restaurants have opted not to move to the Cullman area due to lack of Sunday alcohol sales. She said, “We are getting to the point of economics. I know with Good Hope, we have done a lot of great things with our alcohol money.”
Good Hope gives the schools close to $45,000 in donations and scholarships each year.
Prewitt told the council, “Even though we are not open yet, we plan on opening July 1, if we don’t get it, we just don’t think it will make sense to open on Sunday.” He added, “It’s kind of handicapping some businesses from coming in because they can go 15-20 minutes either way and have an extra day. That extra day, especially in the restaurant business, it’s like having an additional Friday or Saturday night. That’s one of your busiest times. We are definitely 100% for it.”
In other business, the council approved pursuing a 2022 grant from the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TAP) for sidewalk improvements along Calvert Road and Hathcock Road. Representative Corey Harbison explained, “TAP wants connectivity in the communities so that would connect the sidewalk by Good Hope Baptist Church on back to Hathcock Park making that whole area walkable.”
The grant would be an 80-20 grant with a projected cost of $705,230.00. TAP funding would cover $470,729.00 with a cost of $234,501.00 to the City of Good Hope.
The Good Hope City Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. inside City Hall. The public is invited to attend.
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