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You look at the list, and it seems pretty clear something bigger has to be done.
Ali Baba may be grabbing headlines right now, but it’s hardly the only area bar that developed a sketchy record that started to sound, rightly or not, like a public safety concern.
The Wyoming Valley in general and Wilkes-Barre in particular have a long history of watering holes becoming — or at least starting to sound like — nuisance bars
Does anyone remember Outsiders Bar on the far end of South Main Street near Blackman? It’s reputation tarnished steadily until the murder of 37-year-old Michael Only, known as DJ MO, in a parking lot behind the establishment. For neighbors and the city at large, the day the bar doors were locked was likely a relief.
The ever-changing name of what was last know as the Susquehanna Ale House near public square didn’t hide the recurring problems of what had also been the Hardware Bar, Bourbon Street Saloon and Reflex Nightclub. Combined there were 10 fines totaling $5,900 from 2008 through 2013, with the “operational history” prompting license renewal problems in 2010.
It wasn’t so long ago Mulligan’s Irish Pub near the Downtown Village Mall made headlines thanks to shootings and other unsavory incidents.
And those are just a few of the area’s long list of nuisance bars.
To be clear, such problems are not always the fault of the business. There are legitimate questions in such cases as to whether the bar invites the nuisance, or nuisance finds the bar. Problem patrons may simply decide to congregate in one place — birds of a feather, as it were — and if one favored watering hole shuts down, they may invariably migrate to another.
But when problem bars keep cropping up, it seems reasonable to start asking what can be done.
The temptation for quick approval of zoning variances or other required clearances is understandably strong in cash-strapped cities looking to increase anemic tax bases, but perhaps municipal officials can be more particular about granting any needed approval for new establishments.
Maybe it is time for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and related state agencies to revisit the rules for granting and renewing licenses. The PLCB does have a “Nuisance Bar program” established in 1990 as a starting point for any review.
It is worth noting the above-mentioned program includes giving county judges the authority to overturn PLCB licensing decisions on appeal, providing another option in addressing the issue.
Another possibility: An establishment of voluntary best-practice guidelines area bars could adopt to counter the development of nuisance bar issues early, a list of warning signs and responses, for example. Such documents already exist online, a localized version could prove beneficial.
Lastly, establishment of a regional or county nuisance bar task force may be useful in connecting patrons, bar owners, local police, neighbors and other stakeholders in addressing concerns as they develop, before problems get big enough to draw attention of courts or the PLCB.