Park County commissioners have cleared two dozen businesses to continue selling alcohol over the next year, though an issue over a bridge is holding up the plans of a North Fork guest ranch.

At their June 15 meeting, commissioners renewed 21 retail liquor licenses, along with a trio of more limited malt beverage permits, one restaurant liquor license and a satellite manufacturing permit. The licenses and permits will allow the establishments to serve alcohol through June 2022, assuming they stay in compliance with state rules.

The license for the UXU Ranch — which recently changed hands — hinges on the new owners securing a lease from Shoshone National Forest officials. However, First Deputy Park County Clerk Hans Odde said the leasing process has been held up because of “an undisclosed issue with their bridge from the former owner.” Odde said there’s a question of who owns the bridge and who is responsible for maintaining it, adding that co-owner John “J.L. Grief” Hoskin has been talking with the Forest Service and “is hoping to have a lease in place very soon.” Hoskin and two business partners purchased the historic UXU from Bill Perry of Hidden Creek Outfitters earlier this year.

The UXU wasn’t the only establishment to have some difficulty securing a new lease from the Forest Service this year. The Trail Shop, located in the North Fork area, and the Top of the World Store, located in the Beartooth Mountains, were also awaiting their lease renewals at the time of last week’s hearing. Amid the pandemic, “everything was held up,” Odde said.

Commissioner Scott Mangold, who joined the board in January after years in the City of Powell government, asked whether the county kept track of license holders’ contacts with law enforcement. Mangold noted that Powell has a demerit system, logging when businesses pass or fail alcohol compliance checks and whether they proactively report disturbances to police or have police called in by others; the council receives an annual report from the Powell Police Department before renewing its licenses.

When it comes to the county’s licenses, Odde said he generally emails Sheriff Scott Steward before a license is transferred to a new owner to see if there have been any issues. The deputy clerk noted that the establishments in rural Park County generally differ from those in the cities. The county is home to only two real bars — the Powell Golf Club and the Edelweiss Riverhouse in Clark — with most licenses held by guest ranches.

“Those guest ranches, they’re all family oriented and they’re pretty mundane,” Odde said.

In another difference, while the cities of Powell and Cody are all out of retail liquor licenses, three remain available in rural Park County.