Lubbock Cooper ISD Asks for No Alcohol Sold Near Schools
By: Monica Yantosh
Updated: October 8, 2012
"Way within the 300 feet limit," said Pat Henderson, Lubbock-Cooper Superintendent. "It was actually 70 feet from Lubbock-Cooper Middle School."
Three schools in the Lubbock-Cooper ISD fall outside Lubbock City limits. That means the city law didn't apply when dealing with selling alcohol within 300 feet of schools.
"We weren't opposed at all to that particular company, it's the alcohol sales," said Henderson about the plans for a Stripes store to move in across the street.
In Lubbock County Commissioner's Court Monday, the resolution to block the sale of alcohol within 300 feet of the Lubbock-Cooper schools unanimously passed. "The school just wants to ensure that the property right across the street from the school would not open up some kind of store that would sell alcoholic beverages," said Bill McCray, Lubbock County Commissioner for Precinct 1, the area where Lubbock-Cooper falls.
Stripes was already planning to move once plans to put an overpass at Tahoka Highway and Woodrow Road were uncovered during initial planning stages. Lubbock-Cooper decided they still wanted to have the court pass this resolution, even after Stripes chose not to open there.
"Decided, let's go ahead and get this on the books, before anyone else tries to come in and wants to put some kind of package store, some kind of convenience store that would sell alcohol in a similar area," said Henderson.
The resolution only applies to precinct 1 and Lubbock-Cooper schools. Other schools in Lubbock County who want similar results would also have to approach the Lubbock County Commissioner's in order to have them enact the same law.
Commissioner McCay said he wanted to do what was best for the school, without losing potential for growth. "Lubbock county is pro-business, and we certainly encourage and hope to see growth in the community and support growth, but we are following what the school asked us to do, and that is just keep the campus safe," said McCay.
For Henderson, it's safety first. "Our purpose is to keep alcohol sales away from our students, we're trying to create a safe, alcohol free environment," said Henderson. "You know with that many students in our particular area, with all the traffic that we have out here, they just don't mix, and so that's why we want to keep any type of alcohol sale as far away from our campuses as possible."
Three schools in the Lubbock-Cooper ISD fall outside Lubbock City limits. That means the city law didn't apply when dealing with selling alcohol within 300 feet of schools.
"We weren't opposed at all to that particular company, it's the alcohol sales," said Henderson about the plans for a Stripes store to move in across the street.
In Lubbock County Commissioner's Court Monday, the resolution to block the sale of alcohol within 300 feet of the Lubbock-Cooper schools unanimously passed. "The school just wants to ensure that the property right across the street from the school would not open up some kind of store that would sell alcoholic beverages," said Bill McCray, Lubbock County Commissioner for Precinct 1, the area where Lubbock-Cooper falls.
Stripes was already planning to move once plans to put an overpass at Tahoka Highway and Woodrow Road were uncovered during initial planning stages. Lubbock-Cooper decided they still wanted to have the court pass this resolution, even after Stripes chose not to open there.
"Decided, let's go ahead and get this on the books, before anyone else tries to come in and wants to put some kind of package store, some kind of convenience store that would sell alcohol in a similar area," said Henderson.
The resolution only applies to precinct 1 and Lubbock-Cooper schools. Other schools in Lubbock County who want similar results would also have to approach the Lubbock County Commissioner's in order to have them enact the same law.
Commissioner McCay said he wanted to do what was best for the school, without losing potential for growth. "Lubbock county is pro-business, and we certainly encourage and hope to see growth in the community and support growth, but we are following what the school asked us to do, and that is just keep the campus safe," said McCay.
For Henderson, it's safety first. "Our purpose is to keep alcohol sales away from our students, we're trying to create a safe, alcohol free environment," said Henderson. "You know with that many students in our particular area, with all the traffic that we have out here, they just don't mix, and so that's why we want to keep any type of alcohol sale as far away from our campuses as possible."
