Village of Bethalto Committee met Jan. 26
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
Members Present:
Gary Bost Terri Keister Jay Wright
Brady Dugger Rachel Sontag
Also Present:
Village Clerk Sue Lowrance PW Director Rod Cheatham
Fire Chief Jeremiah Grant Radhekrishna, LLC representatives
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Gary Bost at 6:00pm in the Council Chambers of Village Hall.
Radhekrishna, LLC Business Proposal/Liquor License Request
Chintan Patel of Radhekrishna, LLC, presented his proposed business plan for the old Bethalto Floor Store building at 705 Texas Blvd, which he plans to purchase if granted the requested licenses. The proposal includes a package liquor store that will sell liquor, other beverages, tobacco products and some general merchandise and will also house a video gaming area. Patel currently owns a similar location in Jerseyville and two smaller establishments in Brighton and Millstadt. The liquor license process was reviewed, with Mayor Bost noting that video gaming requires a Class B parlor license, so that would be required along with the Package Liquor license. The Village guidelines for issuing a gaming license were discussed, with it being noted that such licenses are typically reserved for a full-service restaurant, bar, or truck stop/gas station. Bost further noted that the Village sets limits to the number of licenses available, so if the Board were to decide to grant a license, an Ordinance would be passed to increase the number of licenses; the business would not be allowed to apply for any license until they own the building, therefore they could either purchase the building contingent on the license(s) being issued or wait until the Village takes action prior to purchasing the building. Patel stated that the contingency was already written into the purchase agreement. The status of the current Mexican restaurant located there was discussed, and whether they would be affected; Patel stated the liquor store would occupy the other part of the building. Trustees indicated they wanted time to review the business proposal and visit Patel’s other locations before making any decision; Bost will get feedback from the board and report back to Patel soon.
Building & Zoning Meeting Update
Mayor presented the special use permit and zoning appeal that were heard for consideration at the January Planning & Zoning meeting and distributed the draft minutes and recommendations from the P&Z board for the trustees to review. The committee is recommending granting the special use permit for the proposed landscaping business at 300 Rou Des Chateaux but recommending upholding the denial of the building permit for a metal covered porch at 413 Whispering Oaks Drive. Bost noted that during that meeting the committee discussed some “grey area” in the code as it relates to the porch proposal and suggested that the board look into updating the code to be more clear in what is and is not permitted; their recommendation is to uphold the decision to deny the appeal based on past practice, but would prefer a more defined section of code for the future. Bost added that the Village Board has the final determination, and that it would be up for vote at the February board meeting.
St. Louis Regional Airport Air Race Classic
This will now be presented at the February committee meeting.
Fire Department Sale of Excess Equipment (air packs)
When the new fire truck was purchased and financed, the department included the purchase of new SCBA equipment and bottles, leaving 15 units as surplus property. Sentinel has offered to purchase these for a total of $30k, and Chief Grant would like to proceed with that sale. There is still useful life left in them, but the newer packs are more up-to-date and compatible with other equipment. Mayor stated that for this to proceed, the Village will need to declare the items as surplus and then determine if a bidding process is required for the sale. Grant stated that $30k is a fair price. Bost will work with the Village Attorney to proceed if everyone is on board with the plan.
Historical Museum Update
PW Director Cheatham announced that the museum has been cleaned out, with items moved to the annex building during restoration. A new front door has been installed and HVAC work completed, and Cheatham would like directions from the Board as to how to proceed at this point. Cheatham plans to replace the flooring next but needs input on whether to go out for bid. Tuckpointing and new windows will be next on the horizon. We have received “pushback” from a very small group of residents about the museum status; since we have no curator it is up to Village staff to determine what to keep, etc. Trustee Keister, who is working at the museum on behalf of the Bethalto Chamber of Commerce, noted that photos are disintegrating and she would like to suggest digitizing them and making them searchable in a database. There are items in the museum that are duplicates, may not be meaningful, or have no documentation to state their significance; we need to develop a plan to honor the past while updating the contents as necessary. The Village did receive a significant donation for the museum’s repair and upkeep; approximately $150k of that donation remains. The building is no longer listed on the National Registry, so approval for updates is not an issue. Mayor stated that he wants the Board to be aware of the status and encouraged them to offer any suggestions and seek out anyone who may want to volunteer to help curate or assist in the process.
Trustee Keister returned the conversation to the proposed package liquor store/gaming parlor and stated she would like to see the Village set higher standards for our main business district along 140. There was discussion that allowing the business to move in would not necessarily bring in more tax revenue; this business would likely just take part of the market share that currently belongs to Schnucks, Walgreens, etc. and not bring in “new money”. Bost encouraged the Board to review the plan and send him any input so that he can be in contact with Patel within a reasonable amount of time.
Having no further items for discussion, the meeting was adjourned by Mayor Bost at 6:42pm.
https://bethalto.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/committee-minutes-012626.pdf
