Emerson Piercy Chief Building Control Officer in the Planning Department

By Kevin Shereves
Kevin@caymannetnews.com

The renewal deadline for Cayman’s liquor license holders is on Friday, 3 August.

Licensees with currently operating businesses must have their premises inspected before the deadline. Inspection reports must be submitted with the renewal application.

The Liquor Licensing Board of Grand Cayman has issued these reminders to all liquor license holders.

Marva Scott, Licensing Board Secretary, said, “We started renewing licenses in June and will continue to do so until the deadline date of 3 August 2009. We just want to remind people that the deadline is approaching to pay their fees and have their licenses renewed.”

Ms Scott said fees vary depending on the category of license that is hold.

“Among the categories of licenses are retail, restaurant, package, beer & wine, hotel, distributor, and the temporary category, each having a set renewal fee,” she said.

Ms Scott said each establishment must also pass an inspection in order to have their licenses renewed.

She explained, “Inspections are conducted by the Fire Services Department, the Department of Environmental Health, and the Planning Department who are responsible for checking all the plumbing and electrical. Licensees are required to contact these departments directly to arrange inspections. Licensees are also required to complete inspection request forms at the Planning Department prior to arranging inspections with that section. The Liquor Licensing Inspection Request Form can be returned to our office at any time. However, it is compulsory that the other inspection reports from the departments be submitted on or before the 3 August deadline.”

The Board Secretary said the renewal process is straightforward, and the Board is ensuring that reminder notices are being issued.

She said, “We sent out renewal packages at the end of May to every license holder and it was a total of 350 packages that were sent out. The package entails a guidance letter or circular, which outlines the renewal process and the list of fees. The package also contains the renewal application forms and the inspection checklist forms.”

Ms Scott said, “These forms must be filled out and available for the inspections perusal upon their visit to the establishment. The Liquor Licensing Office is responsible for arranging liquor licensing inspections only. Inspectors from the various departments must be contacted directly to arrange the relevant inspections.”

Emerson Piercy, Chief Building Control Officer in the Planning Department, said, “Our inspections are based on code requirements and we use checklists that are provided by the Liquor Licensing Office. Generally, we will inspect the sanitary and plumbing aspects because we want to make sure urinals and toilets are working properly and that there are no unsafe electrical items and that the overall environment is safe. We conduct our inspections to make sure that there are no code violations.”

Dennom Bodden, Chief Fire Officer, said, “We will enter an establishment and check for safety issues such as fire extinguishers, emergency lighting and exit signs. If an establishment provides food services we want to ensure that they have a range hood above the stove, which is a system to assist in the extinguishing of a fire. These measures are all in line with the liquor licensing requirements. The Liquor Licensing Office also provides us with a list of premises to inspect and we will in turn provide them with a list of all premises that were compliant or noncompliant.”

Tania Johnson, Promotions Officer in the Department of Environmental Health, said, “The Liquor Licensing Board provides us with a list of establishments that are applying for renewal. Those establishments will make an appointment with us for inspection and we will look at the sanitation of the establishment, including sewage and waste water, make sure that there are proper rest room facilities. We will also look for evidence of rodents and rats, the structural integrity and equipment condition, ventilation, lighting, and how cleaning supplies and chemicals are stored. We will look at personal hygiene and risk of contamination. The majority of owners do comply with the standards.” According to the Liquor Licensing Office, satisfactory inspection reports from the Fire Services Department, the Department of Environmental Health and the Planning Department must be attached to the renewal application form at the time of submission for renewal.

If any licensee has not received a renewal application, copies are available at the Liquor Licensing Office at Cricket Square. For more information, contact Marva Scott at 946-5446 ext. 5.