County schedules another permit revocation hearing for Bangstad

For the second time in just more than a month, the Oneida County Planning & Development Committee has scheduled a revocation hearing after complaints that Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad has continued to violate conditions of his conditional use permit to operate an outdoor beer garden at his Minocqua Brewing Company location.

A public hearing to amend, suspend, or revoke the permit is scheduled for July 24. At the last hearing, held on June 20, the committee suspended Bangstad’s conditional use permit (CUP) for 90 days to give him time to fulfill the conditions of the permit, including paving his parking lot. 

In the meantime, he was not allowed to conduct outdoor business, though his retail store could remain open. The committee warned that operating outdoors during the suspension would immediately trigger another revocation hearing.

The June 20 hearing was tumultuous, with Bangstad erupting after accusing the town of Minocqua of extortion and being told by zoning committee chairman Scott Holewinski to stick to relevant matters. Holewinski recessed the meeting briefly as Bangstad refused to comply with Holewinski’s directive.

After the recess, Holewinski attempted to read a court order from Judge Michael Bloom that Bangstad must comply with the committee chairman’s directives in conducting the meeting and to stick to relevant issues. 

However, Bangstad began interrupting, saying his remarks were relevant. Holewinski again tried to quiet Bangstad, to no avail, and ultimately ordered Bangstad to leave the meeting. 

Bangstad refused, and Holewinski repeated the directive. Bangstad again was defiant.

“I would like to see you make me leave the meeting,” Bangstad said.

At that point, Holewinski summoned a sheriff’s department officer and told Bangstad he was disrupting the meeting. Ultimately, Bangstad said he was leaving on his own accord but left the room delivering expletive-laced remarks accusing the county of sabotaging his business.

With Bangstad banished, the rest of the meeting followed protocol, with Bangstad’s attorney, Frederick Melms (no association with Melms, Hogan & Francois law firm), arguing that Bangstad had technically complied with the permit’s conditions.

Staff and committee members disagreed. Zoning director Karl Jennrich said the lack of compliance was more than technical, especially an argument made by Melms that the CUP did not require paving the parking lot, or that spray painting gravel would meet the requirements of parking conditions.

One by one the committee tallied the unfulfilled conditions, and especially what it considered the most important one — that all the conditions would be met before Bangstad opened the outdoor beer garden for business.

In the end, though, the committee did not revoke the CUP but issued the three-month suspension. Now, because of new complaints about violations, the committee is set for a re-run just a month later.

Richard Moore is the author of “Dark State” and may be reached at richardd3d.substack.com.