The City of Auburn is considering allowing a Bar/Lounge called FlipFlops to come in the old FreeWheeler Building next door to Hardy's daycare. The daycare itself wraps around that building. Children would be in danger from broken glass, cigarette butts, and beer bottles that patrons will inevitable leave on the playground and in the parking lot.
This type of decision could ruin the reputation of this daycare that has been in Auburn for 30 years.
Please help by signing! The petition will be presented to City Council prior to the March 24th Meeting.
We, the undersigned heard about Auburn's plan to put a bar next to Hardy's daycare this week and were saddened and appalled. The safety issues for the children and putting this daycare under serious hardship due to future potential parents choosing a different daycare is our main concern.
Hardy's already has difficulty with vandalism after football game days. Hardy's employees spend time mornings after games picking up broken glass,condoms, and beer bottles out of the parking lot as well as the fenced in playground (this will also raise insurance costs for Mrs. Hardy, creating more of a financial difficulty on her).
We can only imagine what would result if there was a bar next door. A bar with no parking. A bar that won't have the same access to street parking as the bars located by Toomer's corner. Because of this, if the bar actually does happen, patrons will try to park in the daycare parking lot, get too drunk to drive home, and leave their cars there, taking up space that Martha Hardy is paying for her own business and increasing the likelihood of litter and vandalism at the daycare.
The only benefit we can see to the City if this goes through is tax dollars, but how much sense does that make if the tax dollars from Hardy's could go away. To put if differently, putting a bar next to this daycare will seriously affect enrollment. No one can say they'd like their child or grandchild to be in a daycare that's literally inches from a bar, especially in Auburn with it's family atmosphere. The fear is that Hardy's will eventually go under if this passes. Auburn will be responsible for ruining the business of a taxpayer and business owner who has given back to the city and University for 30 years. The message the city of Auburn is giving the parents and children, as well as the community, is that it doesn't matter. This will be done for the sake of a bar, in a poor location for a bar, a bar that will probably go under itself in 3 years anyway what with all the conditions that will need to be put on it.
This type of decision which will compromise common sense, family atmosphere, and reputation can easily snow ball into more decisions like this, resulting in something like what Buckhead in Atlanta has become.
Bar owners need look elsewhere to put their business. This location will have more serious consequences than it seems the City of Auburn has considered.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
