Voters to decide if Falls resort can sell alcohol

A September referendum will decide the fate of an effort by a local businessman to sell wine and beer at a Cumberland Falls Resort.
Jimmy Vance, a local investor and owner of Eagle Falls Resort, said Tuesday that September 27 is the day McCreary County officials have set for an alcohol referendum in the precinct near Cumberland Falls State Park where the resort resides.
Already Vance has obtained a license from the state Alcohol Beverage Control Board to start a small winery operation at Eagle Falls Resort, but state law would only allow him to sell wine on the wholesale market. He could make up to 50,000 gallons of wine a year with the license. Vance said he wants to offer wine and beer at the resort’s restaurant and through a room service menu before opening the winery.
“To even have this election you have to have a small winery license, which I have,” Vance said. “Also, you either have to own a motel with a restaurant or own a bed and breakfast.”
Eagle Falls Resort fits that bill and is the only facility in the precinct that qualifies.
Vance purchased the resort three years ago. It had been abandoned for two years and was becoming decrepit. He spent $1.5 million remodeling the resort which features luxury suites, a general store and gift shop, an ice cream bar, a restaurant and a spacious RV park with a fishing lake.
Vance said on June 24 he turned in 127 signatures on a petition for the vote to McCreary County Judge-Executive Blaine Phillips. County Clerk Jo Kidd verified that 97 of the signatures were valid. Only 53 were needed to hold the vote.
The precinct has 419 registered voters, 212 of whom voted in the last election.
Vance was the main architect of a 2003 alcohol referendum that passed voter approval in Corbin. While similar, there are some differences this time around. Eagle Falls Resort could only sell beer and wine retail through the restaurant. Restaurants in Corbin are allowed to sell hard liquor.
“So far, nobody has really given me any opposition,” Vance said. “Everybody seems to be for it. Far as I know, none of the churches or anybody has come out strong against it yet.”
Though no progress has been made yet toward installing a functioning winery at the resort, Vance said he intends to wait until after the results of the vote to start investing in the operation. Knowing nothing about winemaking, Vance said he plans to hire a winemaker and purchase the equipment if the referendum passes. Equipment will cost about $40,000, he said, and the operation would be housed in an old-style wooden store building next to the resort. Wine bottled at Eagle Falls Resort would have a special label and some likely would be sold on the wholesale market.