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Record of Proceedings

Alcohol Licensing Advisory Committee Meeting - February 3, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, February 3, 2026
BodyJanesville, Wisconsin
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, February 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 14:48

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0:04

Okay, we will call to order the February 3rd meeting of the Alcohol License Advisory Committee.

0:13

Could we have the roll call, please?

0:15

Committee member Brunner.

0:16

Here.

0:17

Committee member Henry is absent.

0:19

Uh Committee Chair Miller.

0:23

Here.

0:24

Committee member Sickich is absent.

0:27

Committee member Struns.

0:29

Council Member Squire.

0:30

Here.

0:30

Committee member Knox.

0:32

Here.

0:33

We have five present, two absent.

0:36

We do have a quorum.

0:38

All right.

0:39

Did everyone have the opportunity to take a look at the minutes?

0:47

All right.

0:47

Motion to approve by Bruner.

0:50

Second by Miller.

0:52

All those in favor say aye.

0:54

Aye.

0:55

Aye.

0:55

Any opposed.

0:57

Seeing none, that passes unanimously.

1:03

Requests and comments from the public regarding items on the agenda not requiring a public hearing.

1:09

Is there anyone in chambers that wishes to speak?

1:11

Please come forward at this time.

1:15

Going once twice.

1:19

All right, we will move on.

1:24

Application for temporary extension of Class B premise for O'Reilly and Conway's Irish pub, 214 West Milwaukee Street for March 14th and 17th, 2026.

1:39

Good morning, Mr.

1:40

Gwarna.

1:49

This is an annual what year in a row?

1:52

I think 15 or 16.

1:54

So uh temporary extension of premises need to uh come uh back to Alack for consideration.

2:00

So uh I don't believe that anything in the application had changed from your prior years.

2:08

And I don't believe that the police department had any objection.

2:17

There are any questions from the committee.

2:24

Seeing none, all you I'll make a motion to approve the application for temporary extension of Class B premise for O'Reilly's and Conway's Irish pub.

2:35

214 West Milwaukee Street for March 14th and 17th, 2026.

2:42

All right, motion by Knox, second by Squire.

2:48

Do we do an affirmation vote?

2:50

Yeah, you can.

2:51

Is that appropriate?

2:52

Yes.

2:52

All those in favor say aye.

2:54

Aye.

2:55

Aye.

2:55

Any opposed?

2:57

Seeing none, good luck with your thank you very much.

3:04

All right, the original application of public hearing for a class B intoxicating liquor fermented malt beverage license for Rick's Juke and Bar Club and Grill LLC doing business as Rick's Juke and Bar Club and Grill, 1901 Beloit Avenue.

3:21

The applicant is here.

3:24

Uh we can just give him a moment.

3:31

I saw him come through, and looks like somebody is grabbing him.

3:38

I can I can uh run down what I can uh prior to uh them up them coming up.

3:50

So uh this is the the back of the yards that uh went up for sale with the softball courts and uh the intention we we were given a large manual as well as a business plan that uh in hindsight it did not get included in the packet, but it uh did explain what their processes were going to be, um how they planned on on handling uh their site, and so I'll let them tell you a little bit more about their plan, but the these do include uh the the application does include the softball fields.

4:35

Uh I apologize that the highlighting that goes around there was a little gray to you.

4:41

So um Ricky, would you go ahead and introduce yourself and state your address for the record?

4:46

Hi, good morning.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Liquor Licensing█████████████████████████████████████████████53%
Procedural████████████████████████████████38%
Public Safety████████9%
Summary of Proceedings

Alcohol Licensing Advisory Committee Meeting - February 3, 2026

The Alcohol Licensing Advisory Committee (ALAC) met on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 8:00 AM in Council Chambers. The committee considered two license applications and received staff reports. Five members were present (Brunner, Miller, Squire, Knox, and Chair Miller) and two were absent (Henry and Sickich), constituting a quorum. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:45 AM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the January 6, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously on a motion by Brunner, seconded by Miller.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public came forward to speak on non-hearing agenda items.

Discussion Items

  • Temporary Extension of Class B Premise – O’Riley & Conway’s Irish Pub, 214 W. Milwaukee St.: The committee reviewed an annual request to extend the licensed premise for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 14 and 17, 2026. The extension is a recurring application (approximately 15–16 years). Staff noted no changes from prior years and no police objections. The committee approved the extension unanimously on a motion by Knox, seconded by Squire.
  • Original Application for Class B Intoxicating Liquor & Fermented Malt Beverage License – Rick's Jukin Barclub & Grill, LLC dba Rick's Jukin Barclub & Grill, 1901 Beloit Ave.: Applicants Ricky D. Smith Jr. (1901 Beloit Ave.) and Ricky Smith Sr. (one Walcott St., Janesville) presented their business plan for a sports bar, concert venue, and nightclub. They plan to operate the former “Back of the Yards” space, including the adjacent softball fields. Key details:
    • Food will be available via an operational kitchen; a health department license is expected by the end of the week.
    • Alcohol service will be limited to a designated area (marked by red lines), using only plastic containers. Patrons may take drinks to seating (picnic canopies) but alcohol cannot touch the playing fields. A separate outdoor bar is not planned.
    • Security: Six security guards will be on site; the police department is approximately 7 minutes away.
    • The applicants plan to run softball, kickball, and volleyball leagues through the GW Smith Foundation.
    • Ricky Jr. owns four restaurant franchises in California and has management experience; this is their first tavern operation.
    • The police department had no objection.
    • A motion to approve the license was made by Squire, seconded by Miller. An amendment was offered (and accepted) to include the outdoor patio/canopy area on the plans for clarity. The motion passed unanimously (5–0).

Staff Reports

  • Janesville Police Department: No incidents to report on current establishments.
  • City Clerk's Alcohol License Quota Report: No issues reported.
  • Temporary Licenses Issued: Standard report; no licenses under conditions currently.
  • Follow-up on Licenses with Conditions:
    • Brazilian Steakhouse: The parking lot is not plowed and no activity has been observed. The establishment is two months into a six-month extension granted in December 2025. No further updates.
    • Indian Cuisine (Swad): A soft opening has occurred; they are working with Rock County on remaining requirements. A new city ordinance allowing Dane County agents will enable them to use a Madison agent to finalize their application.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: Temporary extension for O’Riley & Conway’s Irish Pub (March 14 & 17, 2026).
  • Approved (5–0): Original Class B license for Rick's Jukin Barclub & Grill, including the outdoor patio area. This license will be forwarded to the Janesville City Council for final approval on Monday, February 9, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The applicants were advised to attend that meeting (the item will appear on the consent agenda).
  • No action: The committee took no further action regarding the Brazilian Steakhouse or Indian cuisine follow-ups; these remain pending.
  • Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned on a motion by Knox, seconded by Brunner, with no opposition.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, we will call to order the February 3rd meeting of the Alcohol License Advisory Committee. Could we have the roll call, please? Committee member Brunner. Here. Committee member Henry is absent. Uh Committee Chair Miller. Here. Committee member Sickich is absent. Committee member Struns. Council Member Squire. Here. Committee member Knox. Here. We have five present, two absent. We do have a quorum. All right. Did everyone have the opportunity to take a look at the minutes? All right. Motion to approve by Bruner. Second by Miller. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed. Seeing none, that passes unanimously. Requests and comments from the public regarding items on the agenda not requiring a public hearing. Is there anyone in chambers that wishes to speak? Please come forward at this time. Going once twice. All right, we will move on. Application for temporary extension of Class B premise for O'Reilly and Conway's Irish pub, 214 West Milwaukee Street for March 14th and 17th, 2026. Good morning, Mr. Gwarna. This is an annual what year in a row? I think 15 or 16. So uh temporary extension of premises need to uh come uh back to Alack for consideration. So uh I don't believe that anything in the application had changed from your prior years. And I don't believe that the police department had any objection. There are any questions from the committee. Seeing none, all you I'll make a motion to approve the application for temporary extension of Class B premise for O'Reilly's and Conway's Irish pub. 214 West Milwaukee Street for March 14th and 17th, 2026. All right, motion by Knox, second by Squire. Do we do an affirmation vote? Yeah, you can. Is that appropriate? Yes. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed?

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