The Town of Danbury has taken a stand against something that is becoming popular all over the county—Internet gaming. The town council voted unanimously at their regular meeting on Wednesday, April 28, not to allow Internet gaming as a permitted use in any district of the town.

The subject had been discussed at previous town council meetings after an application had been submitted by an individual wanting to open such an establishment. The request was to use a vacant building on Main Street, which had last been occupied by Lexington State Bank, as an Internet gaming/sweepstakes café.

At the public hearing on April 28, no one spoke in favor of allowing it.

The first speaker was Danbury’s former mayor, Jane Priddy Charleville. As a resident of King Circle, which is in close proximity to the vacant building, Charleville spoke in opposition to adding Internet gaming cafes to the B-1 district in Danbury.

Charleville noted the small-town atmosphere of Danbury and the limited parking which, she said, discourages high traffic. She pointed out that such a café could possibly operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “There’s a lot of traffic, a lot of visitation to these things,” she said. “It doesn’t fit into the town.”

Charleville feels that Internet gaming “could interfere with the integration of our historic district. . .and the rich history that we have here.”

She also stated that 75 percent of the town’s residents live in the B-1 district where the café would be located and that it was an area where residents are closely joined to businesses. “A lot of [residents] are young children,” Charleville reminded the council.

For that reason, Charleville said, safety and nuisance issues were pertinent. She noted the current safety hazard in simply pulling out of King Circle where visibility is limited and how that would be magnified with increased traffic. She pointed out that it is a one-way street and said, “People not from here don’t realize this.”

Charleville painted a picture of residents lying in bed at night with lights off while car doors continuously shut and café patrons talk late into the night.

Her suggestion was, if Internet gaming was going to be allowed, to put it in the B-2 zone where the lots are larger and there are more ways to buffer.

“Desirable businesses attract desirable residents,” Charleville concluded, adding that she wanted to protect the quality of life in Danbury. “Together we can see that Danbury becomes a shining jewel that it deserves to be.”

At that point, Ken Carrick, a Danbury resident who had not signed up to speak, asked to be allowed to address the council. He stated that he had made a living on poker and video machines in the past.

“Overall, this is bad karma,” he declared. “It’s bad for the people. . .they get divorced and they die.” He recalled how some people would hand him their entire paychecks just to play games. “Some of the people here will buy into it,” he concluded.

Bruce Burgess, a neighbor of Charleville’s on King Circle, was the final speaker. He explained that he had lived around gaming in Nevada for five years and that “gaming is an adult experience.”

Burgess added that such gaming often includes adult beverages, consumed outside the establishment or before arrival if they are not allowed inside the café. He said that if the café is smoke-free, then the parking lot becomes “an automatic smoking lounge.”

For Burgess, as with Charleville, traffic is very much a concern. He pointed out that if a gaming patron misses the quick turn into the property, he/she will probably turn in at King Circle or the Danbury General Store, increasing the existent traffic problems.

Burgess acknowledged that businesses had operated inside the vacant building before but noted the difference between the proposed establishment and the banks that kept “banking hours” there. He added that the council needed “to look at the effect it would have on the value of the property around it.”

Burgess admitted that he would like to see a thriving business on the property “to strengthen the commerce of the town.” He questioned, however, if the concern is more for citizens or “just getting some commerce at any cost.”

When the time came for the council’s comments, council member Wendi Uselton was called upon first to speak. She said that her initial reaction to the request for Internet gaming in town was to think about the children, the cars cutting through and the nuisance.

Uselton stated that she had done some private investigation on the subject and had found from news reports that Internet gaming tends to increase crime rates and armed robberies. She admitted that the Town of Walnut Cove and the King Police Department had informed her that they had seen no increase in crime calls but rationalized that perhaps this was because the establishments in these areas had not been in operation long enough.

“Yes, we need to promote commerce in this town,” Uselton stated firmly, “but I’m just not thinking this is the way we want to do it.”

Next up was council member Mike Barsness who noted that after hearing the comments of residents, he had changed his position. He said that he had had experiences on both sides, sometimes seeing increased crime tagged back to Internet gaming and at other times finding no increase in crime whatsoever. His conclusion was that it “all comes back to law enforcement.”

Barsness asked if the town could legislate against any particular type of business. Town attorney Mike Bruce replied that they could.

Barsness said, “Someone mentioned the bigger picture for our town. . .this is not the type of business that I really want.” He noted that he was thinking about the historic restoration in the town and that he wanted “wholesome business.”

Barsness concluded, “I’m having a real hard time moving forward with this.”

Council member Andrew Mathys agreed with Barsness that residents, especially Carrick, had “brought new light” to the issue.

Council member Olivia Shelton commented that she didn’t think it should be in a B-1 district, if anywhere at all. She said that to learn about the issue, she had spent time in an Internet gaming café in King and had spoken with Walnut Cove Mayor John Hodgkin. Hodgkin told her that when Internet gaming was allowed in town, the need for assistance at East Stokes Outreach Ministry “went way up.”

The issue was moved to the action agenda where Uselton made a motion that Internet gaming could not be a permitted use in any district. Shelton provided the second and the vote was 4-0.

In other business, the council voted to honor Raymond Brown’s request to have his property in town rezoned from R-2 to M-1.

The council also voted to hold public hearings on Rebecca Sullivan’s rezoning request, a campground ordinance and increasing criminal fees in town. The hearings will take place at the next regular meeting on Wednesday, May 19, at 7 p.m.