Baldwin ? When this town legalized liquor-by-the-drink in 1999, Ralph Tanner quit the Baldwin Planning Commission that made the recommendation.

After all, he noted, Baldwin was built on dry land – the city’s original deeds in 1858 “forever” prohibited the sale or manufacture of alcohol.

“That flies in the face of what the original organizers had in mind,” Tanner said in 1999.

Because of the town’s history, attempts to liberalize liquor laws in Baldwin have usually been controversial over the years. Now, though, the Baldwin City Council is on the cusp of allowing Sunday liquor sales – and there’s barely been a peep of opposition.

“There’s a lot of new people around,” said Frank Foye, owner of Santa Fe Market and an advocate of Sunday sales. “They’ve moved in from areas where they’re used to Sunday liquor sales, I guess. The demographics are changing.”

The council gave initial approval to Sunday sales at its Aug. 15 meeting, after hearing separately from Foye and Steve Larrick, owner of Cool Cat Liquor. Final approval is scheduled for Sept. 6 – though opponents would have 60 days afterward to file a protest petition and force the matter to a citywide vote.

City Administrator Jeff Dingman said he has heard of no opposition.

“I think the fact that it’s there and for sale anyway – adding Sunday to the mix isn’t that big a change, at least not that I’ve heard,” Dingman said.

In 1858, the Kansas Educational Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church sold lots to raise money to build the college that became Baker University. The lots became the town of Baldwin.

That original section stretched from First to 11th streets and Ames (U.S. Highway 56) to Lincoln streets.

Those lots still carry a deed restriction designed to “prohibit forever said lots” from being used for making or vending intoxicating liquors.

According to the stipulation, a violation of the restriction would cause the properties to be returned to the Kansas Educational Assn., which merged in 1988 with the Baker University Board of Trustees.

But the proviso has never been invoked. Baker didn’t oppose liquor-by-the-drink, and in fact, allows alcohol consumption by persons of legal age in its student apartments. The university won’t oppose the latest action, President Dan Lambert said.

“We’ve learned to have confidence in city administrators in these matters,” Lambert told the Journal-World.

Tanner, the former president of Baker University and a former member of the Kansas House, did not return calls on Wednesday.

Larrick said his customers have been asking for Sunday sales.

“A person in Baldwin who wants to buy liquor on Sunday could drive 15 miles to Lawrence or 11 miles to Edgerton,” he said. “It’s available, so why not do it?”