Chip Anderson

Once again we mourn the passing of a dear friend. Chip Anderson passed away on Saturday, June 16, 2007. Chip was a good patron of the bar, and in fact he was the person who designed this web site. Chip’s presents always made for a congenial time for all who knew him. He appreciated good music, political discussions, computers, photography, and Red Sox baseball. We who knew will miss his smile and good humor, and will toast him often.

In recent weeks a series of tragic accidents has stunned the Cincinnati Street bar scene. Amanda Carrasco, James Kaiser Jr., and Laura Cristina Velarde were known by many of our employees and patrons, and their tragic deaths was very personal for many of us. Their deaths has also reenforced the seriousness of responsible drinking. For the past several months the Cincinnati Bar and other bars in the area have been working hard to promote responsible serving. In late March the Kern Place Merchants Association met with Lieutenant Marc Decatur who runs the District Office of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to discuss safer ways to stage the Mardi Gras street festival. His recommendations resulted in relocating the entrance and exit to the event, and reducing the number of people on Mesa Street. We also met with the Westside Police Command to plan and implement safety recommendations for the event. On Saturday February 17^th all Kern Place bar employees attended a TABC training course on responsible serving. On February 21^st the management of the Cincinnati Club again attended a meeting where the guest speaker, Lieutenant Decatur, again addressed issues relating to underage drinking and responsible serving. On Saturday March 3rd, all Cincinnati Club employees attended a four-hour program given by the Texas Alcohol Education Services for Seller Training Certification. As you can see, we are continually receiving training and working closely with law enforcement officials. Almost, all of this takes place behind the scenes and is seldom reported in the press.

While we feel we are doing a lot to promote responsible serving and drinking, we also realize that there is always room for improvement. The Cincinnati Bar and the Kern Place Merchant’s Association in recent weeks have taken several steps that we hope will reduce the dangers to pedestrians in our area. After meeting with the Westside Police Commander we have hired four off duty officers to patrol the area on our busy nights. These officers will be the streets to assist bar patrons and assure their safety. Members of the Kern Place Merchant’s Association have also been in contact with State Representatives to reduce the speed limit on Mesa Street in the area adjacent to the bar area. We have also informally talked to our State Senator about the feasibility of dropping Mesa Street below ground and making the entire area a plaza. For several years we have also been working to close Cincinnati Street and build a parking garage for area patrons. Regrettably, the City has been moving at a snails pace on closing the street and building the garage. Other ideas are also being reviewed.

For you, the patron of our bar we would like to make you aware of a few things the Cincinnati Bar is doing. First, we are a member of the El Paso Bar Owner’s Association, which is an organization that "promotes responsible over 21 entertainment." Second, in conjunction with Desert Eagle Distributors we offer free cab rides home for anyone who has had to much to drink. If you feel a friend should not drive, just tell the bartender and we will be glad to call a cab. Finally, on our website, Cincinnatibar.biz, you can go to the Industry Link, and then go to Drink Responsibly Link and find out more about what you can do to promote responsible drinking. If you have any other suggestions for making our area safer, please let us know.