BUTLER TWP — The township commissioners on Monday approved the transfer of a restaurant liquor license to the new Sheetz under construction on Evans City Road. Commissioners unanimously voted in favor of transferring the license following a hearing on the matter that was held during the commissioners meeting.

Sheetz demolished its existing store at 499 Evans City Road and an adjacent house and is building a larger, updated store in its place.

“The company has made a significant investment in Butler Township,” said Mark Kozar, an attorney with the Flaherty and O'Hara law firm of Pittsburgh which represents Sheetz.

Beer and wine would be sold until 1:45 a.m. seven days a week, Kozar said.

The new store will have seating for 30, and patrons will be permitted to consume up to two drinks in the seating area, he said.

As the owner of a restaurant liquor license, Sheetz is required to allow on site consumption, but it doesn't want to, he said. “They'd rather not do it,” Kozar said.

The state Liquor Control Board is supposed to address the on-site consumption issue at a hearing Wednesday, he said.

Employees will undergo RAMP training and all alcohol buyers will have to show identification, he said. RAMP training is intended to help employees spot fake identification and identify intoxicated people.

He said minors are not allowed to carry beer to the cash register even if they are in the presence of an adult.

The store will have 30 to 40 security cameras monitored on-site by staff and remotely by the company's off-site security team, he said.

Sheetz has 600 stores in six states and 144 of them have liquor licenses, he said. Other stores are applying for licenses, he said.

On behalf of a resident who submitted a question, Dave Zarnick, chairman of the commissioners, asked why the store wants to sell beer and wine.

Kozar said alcohol is sold as a convenience to customers and most of Sheetz' competitors sell alcohol.

“The thrust of their business is food sales. Food sales is what drives their business,” Kozar said.

Also, the commissioners didn't take action on a motion to consider a $249 a month contract with Savvy Citizen to alert residents to emergencies and community events through a cell phone app and decided to meet with representatives of that company and other providers including CodeRED to gather more information. Zarnick said the county is planning to offer a free emergency alert mobile app from CodeRED.