Amy Word seeks to sell Lamasco's liquor license to Evansville man
EVANSVILLE — School board member Amy Word seeks to sell Lamasco Bar & Grill's liquor license to Ty Barnhart, doing business as Ty's Bar & Grill, according to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (ATC).
The Alcoholic Beverage Board of Vanderburgh County will consider Barnhart's license transfer application, which is accompanied by Word's signed consent, at 1 p.m. on Feb. 13 in Room 301 of the Civic Center in Evansville.
On Oct. 17, ATC approved a second 90-day permit extension for Word at Lamasco, taking it to Tuesday. Word did not return phone and text messages for this story, but employees have said the popular West Franklin Street establishment will temporarily close its doors Monday pending finalization of Word's plan to sell it.
More: Lamasco liquor license good through January 16; Word hopes to sell sooner
The trouble with Lamasco's permit to sell alcohol began on Aug. 8.
The Alcoholic Beverage Board of Vanderburgh County voted to recommend denial of Lamasco's liquor license renewal application. According to ATC, the local board stated "that it believed the permit premises had become a public nuisance as defined in (Indiana Administrative Code)." A week later, Indiana ATC took the local board's recommendation to deny renewal of Lamasco's permit.
Word's attorney requested an administrative appeal of the denial, but on Friday ATC said that may not happen.
"ATC is —at this time — under the understanding that the current permit holder (Word) is seeking to transfer the permit in lieu of an appeal hearing," the state agency said by email.
Word is fighting a felony criminal charge that accuses her of "maintaining a common nuisance" at Lamasco. Her criminal case is set for jury trial on April 8, having been rescheduled from March 4.
Barnhart and Word's transfer paperwork does not explicitly state that Word is selling the Lamasco business and real estate itself to Barnhart. She has advertised it for slightly more than $1 million. No transfer of deed to the property had been recorded in the Vanderburgh County Recorder's Office as of Friday afternoon.
The permit transfer paperwork identifies Barnhart as an Evansville resident and lists Lamasco's phone number as his contact information. Barnhart could not be reached there on Friday.
"When will the permit premises for which you are applying be ready to open for business?" the liquor license application asks. "Immediate," the answer states.
An affidavit of purchase price attached to Barnhart and Word's transfer paperwork indicates the estimated fair market value of the liquor license is $65,000. Word's consent to the license transfer indicates she intends to enter into a "purchase agreement" with Barnhart. Elsewhere the transfer paperwork is more explicit: The affidavit identifies Word's LLC as "permit holder selling permit."
A finalized sale of Lamasco itself may have to wait.
"Was personal or real property sold as part of this agreement?" the document naming the fair market value of the liquor license asks. The answer: "No."
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Amy Word seeks to sell Lamasco's liquor license to Ty Barnhart
