Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE — The owner of a bottle club and restaurant promised city council Tuesday his business would not become a nightclub if he’s able to transfer a liquor license from a neighboring municipality.
Paulino Nunez told council during its work session that he would add a bar to La Villa restaurant at 369 S. Main St. that can accommodate 298 people. It’s been open for nearly three years, the last eight months as a bring-your-own-bottle club since the city’s Zoning Hearing Board approved it for that use.
Nunez said he’s had entertainment at the club and had no instances where police were called.
“I never had any problems,” Nunez said. If the transfer goes through, Nunez said he would hire Wilkes-Barre police officers to work the bar on weekends.
He plans to transfer the liquor license from Shmoopy’s Inc. that operated in Hanover Township. City council must approve license transfers from outside the city.
One person spoke up in opposition to the license, saying police often respond to calls at the shopping center where the restaurant is located. “It’s not a safe area,” said Bob Moir, a neighbor.
But resident John Suchoski supported Nunez. The people who cause problems are not patrons of La Villa, he said.
Council will vote on the transfer at Thursday night’s public meeting.
Other items on Thursday’s agenda for approval:
• The Hazleton office of Chicago, Ill.-based engineering consulting firm Alfred Benesch and Company to begin the design of the North Washington Street Bridge replacement project. PennDOT has programmed preliminary engineering at a cost of $105,000 for fiscal year 2019. Overall preliminary engineering costs are estimated at $385,000. The federal government will cover the majority of the costs and the city’s share has yet to be determined. If the city contributes, it will come from its Liquid Fuels Account.
• Alfred Benesch and Company to conduct inspections of city-owned bridges from 2018 through 2022 at a cost of $376,323. The federal government will contribute 85 percent of the cost and the city 15 percent from the Liquid Fuels Account.
• The use of city fields by Elite Championship Tournament Baseball on weekends from May 1 to Nov. 1.
• The first of two readings of an ordinance to raise the fees at the Hollenback Golf course. The increase was not disclosed. City Administrator Ted Wampole said the rates are low and would be raised to be in line with other local courses.
New officers
Earlier Tuesday, Mayor Tony George said he expects to swear in new police officers by the end of the week. Four people who took the city’s civil service tests last year were offered jobs and accepted them, the mayor said. Two of the four already have Act 120 certification required of municipal police officers, the mayor said. The other two will attend school to receive the certification.