San Joe’s prepares for new Leesburg location

LEESBURG, Ga. — Leesburg City Council members approved an alcohol license request for San Joe’s Mexican Restaurant, pending fingerprinting, at the council’s Tuesday-night meeting.

Ramiro Alvarez, co-owner of the restaurant, told City Council members he hopes to expand San Joe’s, which currently has a location in Dawson, presence to Leesburg. Alvarez said the new restaurant would be located in the building that previously housed Austin’s Bar BQ at 285 U.S. 19.

Alvarez said during the Council meeting that he plans to have San Joe’s open to the public in three weeks.

The Council also unanimously voted in favor of allowing Leesburg Police Chief Charles Moore to start work on a program designed to help young driver’s ages 14-16 years old and their parents address and cultivate better driving attitudes.

“It’s not driver’s ed; it’s not meant to be driver’s ed,” Leesburg City Attorney Bert Gregory told Council members.

Gregory suggested the council embrace the driving program, Ride With P.R.I.D.E. (Parents Reducing Incidents of Driver Error), which the University of Georgia and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety have partnered to create.

The attorney lauded the program’s relatively low cost to the Council, saying that the city would have to pay for only one city employee to be trained in Athens.

“The training is free and the materials are provided, so the only cost the city would have to endure is to pay for one employee to stay overnight in Athens to attend the training,” said Gregory.

Moore and Gregory also told City Council members the P.R.I.D.E.

program could be used as an elective measure for young drivers or as court-ordered community service.

Moore said those students who participate in the program can receive a discount on their insurance, and troubled young drivers who may have gotten numerous traffic citations and are at risk of losing their licenses can attend the program by a court order.

The chief added that the program would probably be offered to parents and students every quarter.

“It benefits the parents and the kids; they attend the program and everyone wins,” said Moore.

The P.R.I.D.E. program is a two-hour course that is attended by both parents and their children.