Competition for Powell Liquor License

The Powell City Council has a difficult decision ahead.
Two different organizations have applied for the last available retail liquor license that the City of Powell has to distribute. One application has come from a successful business in Lovell that looks to expand into Powell, while the other has come from the planned hotel and convention center that recently received the backing of the State Loan and Investment Board.
The Powell Tribune reports that Stacey Bair, one of the owners of Club Dauntless in Powell, spoke before the City Council last week regarding their plans to open a fitness center in the Gateway West business park. According to the article, Bair told the Council that there are 82 members of their fitness center in Lovell who drive 30 miles from Powell to work out at their facility, so it made sense to them to look at opening a center in Powell. However, they wouldn’t make enough money to make the business viable without a secondary purpose for the building, so they are looking at incorporating a sports bar into their plans.
On the other side of the issue is the planned hotel and convention center that is also set to open in Gateway West. City officials and the economic development organization PEP recently received state approval for a $2.62 million dollar grant to provide the initial funding for the conference center, which would also require a retail liquor license.
A public hearing on the liquor license applications will be held December 3rd.