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Council to decide Menlo BevMo's fate

by Sandy Brundage

Should another liquor store be allowed to open in Menlo Park? What role should city government play in regulating economic competition? Those are the questions the City Council faces at its meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 9, when considering whether to let Beverages & More open a store on El Camino Real.

In a 4-3 vote, the Planning Commission in August granted Beverages & More a use permit to open an 8,900-square-foot store in the same strip mall where Staples and Big 5 operate.

However, local resident Maureen Hogan appealed the decision, which means the outcome rests in the hands of the council. Ms. Hogan, along with other supporters of local businesses, such as Beltramo's and Draeger's, have bombarded the council with e-mails stating their opposition to the store.

Other residents wrote the city to say the council should not interfere with a free market economy, and that fear of competition isn't a reason to deny BevMo's permit.

(The Almanac was unable to get confirmation or comment from Beltramo's regarding a Daily News story that Beltramo's employees had been ordered to attend the council meeting to oppose the BevMo permit. If more is available, it will be reported on AlmanacNews.com.)

The council meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at the Civic Center, 701 Laurel St.

Veterans Day closures

Veterans Day falls on Thursday, Nov. 11, this year. City Hall, along with Menlo Park public libraries and the Chamber of Commerce, will be closed in observance of the federal holiday.

Tuesday: Meals on Wheels fundraiser

Eleven local restaurants will donate 10 percent of their sales on Tuesday, Nov. 9, to a local volunteer organization that delivers approximately 1,000 hot meals each week to seniors and housebound residents.

The 11 are: Amici's, Celia's, Bona Restaurant, British Bankers Club, Cedro Ristorante Italiano, El Cerrito, Gambardella's, Marche, Oak City Bar and Grill, Round Table Pizza, and Parkside Grille.

The proceeds benefit Peninsula Volunteers, which runs the Meals on Wheels program in southern San Mateo County. For more information, call Linda Drew at 598-0190.