Montrose tavern loses liquor license over safety concerns

MONTROSE, Colo. (KKCO/KJCT) — The future of a Montrose tavern is in limbo after City Council unanimously voted not to approve their liquor license renewal.

“As City Council, all of us felt that this could not go on any longer,” Roy Anderson, the mayor of Montrose, said. “It’s a real threat to our citizens and their safety.”

It’s a bold and unusual move for the council, one that resident’s like Roberto Contreras say came as a bit of a surprise for one of town’s “regular old dive bars.” Anderson says this decision was the cultivation of years of warnings to Sam’s Tavern, which all fell on deaf ears.

“This tavern has been repeatedly asked by City Council when license renewals have come up in the past to clean up their act, basically, and have been given second chances numerous times over the years,” Anderson said.

From fights to sexual assaults, Anderson tells us the police department has been called to Sam’s Tavern 44 times since last year.

“We have many bars and taverns in town that have virtually no incidents, no reports with the police, because they just manage their operation in a responsible manner,” Anderson said.

We chatted with one of the managers at Sam’s Tavern. He tells us they are working to figure out next steps, and intend to talk to us on camera when they do. Until then, the future of the bar and it’s employees, unclear.

“I didn’t really know the people at Sam’s, the owner or the people that worked there, but it’s unfortunate that they lost their jobs,” Contreras said.