Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 2.12.14

14 | FEBRUARY 12, 2014
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Whiteish Beer Barter

Canceled Due to

Insurance Issues

Indemniication dispute as necessary elements for the City’s ap-
proval of the permit. The tenth condition
with city oicials forces required the Brewery to sign an indem-

event to move inside
niication clause. The indemniication
was very broad, and Great Northern’s in-
surance company highly recommended
By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Beacon
the Brewery not sign the document as it
was drafted, as it would leave the Brew-
The Great Northern Brewing Com- ery liable for things that the insurance
pany canceled its popular downtown company could not cover. Great North-
Beer Barter and Talent Show scheduled ern submitted proposed changes to the

for Feb. 8 due to an insurance and in- indemniication language, but the City
demniication dispute with Whiteish would not accept the language changes
city oicials.
necessary for Great Northern to proceed
The decision to cancel the event with the event. Not having insurance
came on the heels of a 4-1 de-
coverage eliminated all
cision by the Whiteish City possibility of the event oc-
Council to overrule an ear- “WE HAVE TO curring as planned.”

lier decision by the city man- PROTECT THE Although the Beer Bar-
ager and police chief to deny ter as originally planned
a special events permit for TAXPAYERS FROM was canceled, Great North-
the event. That decision was POSSIBLE LAW- ern Brewing Company in-
born of concerns about open vited several of the partici-
containers outside of the SUITS.”
pants to perform talents or
designated premises, trans- exchange their treasures
gressions that Police Chief Chuck Stearns, on the stage within the

Bill Dial said he witnessed in WhiteishCityManager
brewery’s premises follow-
previousyears.
ing the carnival’s Grand
Parade. The amended bar- In making its decision
tering event commenced
to act against Dial’s advice,
the council applied a host of conditions following the Grand Parade as part of
to the permit, including requiring a per- the Brewery’s 19th Anniversary Cele-
formance bond and the addition of se- bration.
curity oicers, as well as an indemnii-
City Manager Stearns said Dufey,
cation clause to protect the city against his attorney and the brewery’s insur-
litigation. The indemniication clause, ance agent worked with the city to try
which the city says was necessary, was and ind a solution that would work for
ultimately deemed unacceptable by the all parties.
brewery’s insurance company.
“Indemniication and insurance are
“It was a page-long document and important requirements when a major
we came within one word of reaching event selling alcohol occurs on the city

an agreement,” Whiteish City Manager right-of-way, in this case Central Av-
Chuck Stearns said last week. “We have enue, because the city could incur some
to protect the taxpayers from possible liability from such an event. All such li-
lawsuits that could arrive from some- ability should rest with the event spon-
thing happening at this event.”
sor, not the city’s taxpayers,” Stearns
After the brewery was notiied that said in a prepared statement. “State law
the permit had been denied, it appealed requires the event sponsor to control
the decision to the Whiteish City Coun- the premises where alcohol is consumed

cil. The event was slated to take place in and sold. Past Beer Barter events did not
front of the brewery on Central Avenue have suiciently controlled premises re-
in downtown Whiteish. The Beer Bar- sulting in open containers of beer in oth-
ter was introduced in the late 1990s and er areas of downtown. The past failure to
was revived in 2011. Last year it attract- control the premises led the City Coun-
ed nearly 1,000 spectators who watched cil to impose more stringent require-
participants barter talents and items for ments on this event for this year.”

a year’s supply of beer.
Dufey said he looked forward to
Following the council’s decision at its working with the city in coming years to
Feb. 3 meeting, Great Northern Brew- ensure the Beer Barter could take place.
ing Company General Manager Marcus “Mayor John Muhlfeld was a plea-
Dufey said the event would move for- sure to work with throughout the
ward; however, after multiple discus- process,”Dufey said. “I believe Mayor
sions with the brewery’s insurance com- Muhlfeld was fair and interested in al-
pany a resolution was not in sight.
lowing the Beer Barter to continue for

According to a statement from the yearstocome.”
brewery: “Ten conditions were drafted
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