Many residents of New Wilmington like the quaint way their town is and want it to stay that way. But one college student wants to make a big change.

Krissy Edmonds, 22, of Greensburg, a senior at Westminster College, circulated petitions and gathered enough names to put a liquor referendum on the ballot in the May primary in Lawrence County.

"I did this because I know a lot of my friends drive drunk from bars some of the time," she said. "If there was a bar in New Wilmington, it would eliminate drunk driving. We're 21 and there's nothing available in New Wilmington. Everything is closed after 6 p.m. even to eat. Business in New Wilmington appeals to the community but not necessarily the college students."

But some residents and business owners don't want to see a change in the borough and the Wilmington area, which has a large population of old order Amish in the community.

"I like the little borough the way it is," said lifetime resident Larry Wagner, borough council president and co-owner of borough business Ed and Jerry's Auto Service. "I don't think it's that big of a disadvantage to go out."

Pastor John Bailey of New Life Baptist Church, which is about a mile west of the borough on state Route 208, agreed with Wagner. "I have heard some talk about it from people in the congregation and what I've heard has been quite negative, including from some of the business establishments in the community," said the senior pastor who oversees a congregation of about 2,000.

He added that 200 families are from a combination of the borough and the two Wilmington townships. "New Wilmington is a wonderful place to live and they don't think it (alcohol) would improve the quality of life or the flow of business, and at times the use of alcohol in the fraternities in town is a public nuisance," he said.

But not everyone in New Wilmington is against the referendum.

Neshannock Township resident Sandy Aquaro, who owns and operates The Tavern on the Square restaurant in the borough, is concerned about the college students.

"I'm in favor of the college students having some place to go because I employ a lot of college students and they do not have a lot of places to go and I do not want them to drive and drink," she said. "They always tell me there's no place to go. I really discourage them from going out of town driving and drinking, but they always tell me they have a designated driver."

She also thinks it might bring in more business to the community but has no plans, if the referendum passes, to try to sell alcohol at her restaurant.

"No, The Tavern is unique in its own way. I don't think my clientele would still continue to support the restaurant," Ms. Aquaro said. "The Tavern is The Tavern, having been here since 1933. Our clientele is mostly middle age and older. I don't get a lot of college students here for dinner. My percentage of that is very small."

Borough resident Tim Kelly, who owns Olde Country Feed and Hardware and is president of the recently formed New Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, is personally against the small town becoming wet but agrees that it is important to address the needs of the college students.

"It sort of caught me by surprise," he said of the referendum. "I would have to say that I would be against it because of the way I see the town, the makeup of the community. It's not because of the college kids or the drinking. I don't think it has much of a chance of passing, but I've been wrong on many subjects.

"It definitely is not about being against the college students. It just presents us more of a challenge to find the college students something to do -- to give them more to do and make this area more attractive to the college students.

"I'm not taking a stand on it as a moral thing but when it comes to marketing the town, I like to market it as a dry community. It makes it different than other communities."

New Wilmington Mayor Wendell Wagner took the strongest stand against the possibility of making the borough wet.

"I'm totally opposed to it. As mayor, I'm in charge of the police department and we would not welcome a bar in town. A bar tends to lead to a little trouble," he said.

"It's not a good image for Westminster College -- they go out and get drunk and have to drive back in. We have a lot of lovely places within driving distance."