The Pure Lounge, a go-go club, is expected to serve its suspension at the end of the month.
By: Audrey Levine
The owners of the go-go club Pure Lounge, on South Street, were issued a 14-day suspension of their license at Monday’s Borough Council meeting in response to 13 charges filed against them in May concerning excessive noise and fighting on the premises.
According to C. Douglas Reina, borough attorney, seven of the 14 days will be held in abeyance for one year. If the lounge is not disciplined during that time, those days will be dropped.
"If they do get another conviction, they will get a seven-day suspension in addition to the new penalty," he said.
The remaining seven days, Mr. Reina said, will be served at the end of the month so long as the borough approves a resolution at its Sept. 24 meeting.
Mr. Reina said that the owners will also have an opportunity to appeal to the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control to change the seven-day suspension into a payable fine. He said that if the owners choose to go this route, and the division approves the request, the borough will not object.
Between March 1 and May 1, the Pure Lounge was issued five violations for fights outside the building, with several of them resulting in patrons needing medical attention. The remaining eight charges stemmed from excessive noise complaints.
Mr. Reina said there is a provision in the license that requires the lounge to close windows and doors when playing any sort of stereo equipment, but the owners of the lounge did not comply, thus resulting in the noise complaints.
Since the charges were filed at the end of May, Mr. Reina said, there have been no more complaints at the lounge.
Representatives for the lounge said at the council meeting that they had "gotten off on the wrong foot" in the town when they opened their doors in February, but had cleaned up their act and do plan to file an appeal with the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The attorney for the lounge, Richard De Luca, and the owners could not be reached for comment.