Fargo Liquor Control Board discussing enforcement at The Windbreak

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - The Windbreak bar has long been a topic of concern for the Fargo Liquor Control Board. At Wednesday’s meeting, the board agreed to taking a “soft approach” in dealing with them, saying they are willing to work with the city and have implemented using ID scanners to cut down on fake IDs.

The motion must now be approved by the City Commission to go forward. Back in March, Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski said Windbreak management told him they didn’t want to get an ID scanner because it would take too long to get people through the door. That has since changed, and they’ve agreed to start using the scanners on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

City Auditor Steven Sprague said at the meeting in March, there could be a hearing to determine if The Windbreak has any violations. That did not happen, despite a report from the Fargo Police department showing the year-to-date breakdown of calls to local bars, in which The Windbreak (3150 39th St. S.) was at the top with 66 calls, further detailing that over-intoxication is the biggest issue.

In August 2021, the bar was fined for serving underage customer. At the time, Fargo Police said there had been a ‘number of instances with a similar theme of underage drinking.’ You can read more on that here.

At the time, the Liquor Control Board voted to give the Windbreak a $500 fine for its first offense of allowing an underage person inside the venue and drinking, as well as a mandatory server training for all Windbreak staff.

Chief David Zibolski says his officers were sent on June 18 to a traffic crash in the area of the Windbreak. There, a 19-year-old admitted to officers that she had been drinking at the Windbreak with her fake Wisconsin ID prior to the crash. Another 19-year-old was involved in an incident at the Windbreak on June 24, Zibolski said. Police were called to the bar around 11:30 p.m. for a fight involving the 19-year-old girl. Zibolski says the teen admitted to drinking inside the Windbreak because she was wearing a bracelet that allowed her to. The 19-year-old told officers her boyfriend bought two wristbands at the door and gave her the extra. Zibolski says the underage teen was never carded.

In Wednesday’s meeting, the board also said relations have improved with another bar, District 64.

In a board meeting in February 2023, a report provided by the police department, showed that out of all of the bars, District 64 had the highest amount of calls in the month of January. The report showed three simple assaults were reported, as well as three reports for theft.

At the time, Police Chief Dave Zibolski says he had tried to meet with the owner of District 64 several times, but hadn’t received a response. The Chief now says they’ve addressed some issues with staffing and underage drinking.