Package store raises eyebrows near lake

A planned restaurant and package store in Leah is drawing dismay from some residents and interest from others.

Cathy Walton is planning to open the Little River Roadhouse restaurant and the Lake Springs package store near the intersection of Ray Owens and Washington roads.

"I want to be a good neighbor to everyone," she said, adding that she's a licensed drug and alcohol counselor.

Nearby residents said the businesses would encourage vagrancy and make time spent on the lake even more dangerous.

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"To put a liquor store that close to recreational areas to me is a just an atrocity," John Bailey said.

Walton's applied for a alcohol license for both and met all the county's requirements. That leaves the county with only one choice, officials said.

"If they meet all the guidelines ... the county has set up, our hands are pretty much tied," Commissioner Tommy Mercer said. If county commissioners disapproved her license requests, they open themselves to a possible lawsuit.

Walton said the county rules regarding alcohol licenses are among the most stringent in the state.

"If you don't abide by those, you lose (the license)," she said. "(The license) is a privilege given to you by the county."