The New Ulm City Council approved a patio application and liquor license extension for Sweet Haven Tonic Tuesday. Sweet Haven Tonic had previously applied for and received the patio application in 2023. The file photo from 2023 shows L-R) Leah Pekrul, Lori Pietz, and Abbey Keister seting up an umbrella in the patio space outside Sweet Haven Tonics. Photo by Dan Olson.

NEW ULM – Ahead of New Ulm’s festival and event season, multiple Minnesota Street businesses applied for liquor license extensions that coincide with those festivals.

The requests on Tuesday came from 209 Pub & Grill, Kaiserhoff and B&L Bar.

City Manager Chris Dalton said this is the last time liquor license extensions and street closures will come before the council. Staff is in the process of drafting a new event policy that would streamline these types of approvals.

For this year’s approval, the council had the option of adding different requirements before granting the extensions. Dalton recommended the council request increased trash receptacles during certain events to control refuse. He specifically cited the Car Roll-in events, in which people wander through the street. He said the trash cans on Minnesota Street following roll-in events tend to get relatively full.

Mayor Kathleen Backer said the need for garbage receptacles is a bigger issue than most people think.

“There is nothing worse than being at the event and trying to find a place to go with an empty container,” she said. “When we allow events to happen on our main street, that becomes an event venue and it behooves whoever is organizing it that we have additional containers.”

The council agreed to add the trashcan requirement for the roll-in events.

There was also the question of whether alcohol was being taken out of the designated zones during these events.

Police Chief David Borchert said with more volumes of people during events, police do see more liquor license violations, but said it was nothing that could not be managed. Officers are ask to be more observant to the downtown area during events to reduce criminal mischief. Officers do write citations during downtown events. There is also the option of placing pole cameras to better monitor areas of the downtown.

Borchert said there are some private security cameras downtown already, but the pole cameras could be temporarily placed downtown for special events.

The council would ultimately approve all liquor license extensions.

The liquor licenses extensions approved for 209 Pub & Grill and Kaiserhoff included a fundraiser event on Aug. 22; Crazy Days on July 24-July 26; Car & Bike roll-ins on June 13, July 11 and Aug. 8 and the Parade of Lights on Nov. 27.

For B&L Bar, the extensions were for Crazy Days on July 24-July 26; Car & Bike roll-ins on June 13, July 11; Spikin’ in the Street July 31-Aug. 2; Oktoberfest on Oct 2-4 and the Parade of Lights Nov. 27. In addition to the extension into the street, B&L received an extension that included the adjacent alley to the building.

Later in the meeting, the council approved a temporary outdoor patio application with a liquor license extension. This patio and liquor license extension was not tied to any special event. Instead, it would allow Sweet Haven Tonics to place an outdoor patio on Minnesota Street using parking spaces in front of the building. This patio would serve as an extension of the business from May through Nov. 1.

Mayor Backer said she was happy to see that the patio application was being used again and hoped more businesses would take advantage of the application.