Business/Economy

No, really, we're open: Quiet Parks Highway lodge fights to keep its liquor license

HOUSTON — A longtime but little-used lodge in a scenic spot along the Parks Highway north of Houston is fighting to renew its liquor license.

At issue: whether Gold Miners Lodge met a state liquor law renewal rule that it operate at least 30 eight-hour days every year.

Lodge owner Brian Gauthier says he operated exactly that much in 2015 and 2016 — and no more — to hang on to the liquor license needed to sell the restaurant and the 14-room motel behind it.

Gauthier contends he never asked for the license that came with the lodge he and his wife bought in 2006 after moving from Florida.

"The liquor license was kind of a double-edged sword," he said. "We really want it to be family (friendly). When we first got here it was more like a bar."

The lodge was built at Mile 60 of the Parks in the late 1960s as a camp during highway construction. It sits north of Houston on a stretch of the highway where the view opens out to a sweeping view of Mount Susitna and a long, deep green stretch of muskeg and spruce to the horizon.

Struggling to stay afloat, the Gauthiers began trying to sell the lodge in 2008. It's still on the market as they try to move closer to an ailing family member in the Lower 48.

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Renewing the license is crucial to any resale, Gauthier said. But the renewal could also stave off foreclosure because the terms of the lodge's financing agreement hinge in part on the license.

"If we lose the liquor license, they could take it back," he said.

The lodge is priced on Craigslist at $325,000. A Matanuska-Susitna Borough assessment for this year, which doesn't necessarily mirror real-estate markets, totaled a little over $136,000.

The Gauthiers planned to open Gold Miners Lodge over the weekend. It will operate under temporary restaurant and beverage dispensary licenses while the renewal remains under review, state officials say.

The renewal issues started earlier this year after state and local officials raised questions about the lodge's hours of operations.

Documentation provided by the Gauthiers to prove it was open included register receipts not indicating what was sold, an ad for the lodge's sale, a photo that "depicts a small variety of spirits" and a soda cooler, and another that shows an empty dining room, according to a February memo from Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office investigator Joe Hamilton.

The lack of documented purchases from distributors further indicates that "it is questionable they operated for the full 30, 8-hour days," Hamilton wrote.

The empty restaurant photo was meant to show extensive remodeling during the 30 days, Gauthier said Friday. He gave Hamilton more detailed documentation in late May to prove the lodge was open.

The Houston City Council filed a protest against the license with the state Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office in March. According to city sales tax returns, the Gold Miners' total sales between July and September 2015 were $300 and they were $310 for April through June last year.

Those sales show the lodge didn't live up to the predictions of a 2015 business plan promising all-summer and maybe year-round operations, the city council wrote in a March statement.

Gauthier on Friday said his plans to expand faltered when a business loan fell through.

Houston Mayor Virgie Thompson declined to comment on the renewal.

The director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office in April recommended the state Alcoholic Beverage Control board deny the renewal request or require a waiver application for 2016.

The board delayed a decision until July 11, director Erika McConnell said Friday.

McConnell declined to say whether the new information Gauthier provided has changed Hamilton's finding that the lodge didn't meet the obligations of the 30-day rule.

Plans for the season include restaurant and motel remodels as well as kayak rentals.

Gauthier said he wants the lodge to have new "energy, team spirit" this summer as he tries to rebuild tourist and RV traffic — as well as sell the place.
He plans to bring in friends from Bethel to help with cooking and maintenance.

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He doesn't see a lot of profit in his future.

"How do you make a small pile of money?" Gauthier asked. "Start with a big pile of money."

Zaz Hollander

Zaz Hollander is a veteran journalist based in the Mat-Su and is currently an ADN local news editor and reporter. She covers breaking news, the Mat-Su region, aviation and general assignments. Contact her at zhollander@adn.com.

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