By Karen Frantz
Some Parkway Village residents are outraged a bar on Union Turnpike that they say has been causing problems near a residential community will be allowed to stay open later than normal on New Year’s Eve.
Monica Weiss, a Parkway Village resident, said patrons of the bar Cheap Shots, at 149-05 Union Tnpk., have long been a thorn in her neighborhood’s side. She said noise, rowdiness and even violence are issues.
“We’re very severely impacted by activities that are going on there,” she said.
Weiss said her neighbors have complained about Cheap Shot patrons waking them up several times a night, cursing and screaming in the late night, urinating in their yards and starting fights.
Another Parkway Village resident, Caren Goring, said the noise coming from the bar is so loud she cannot open her windows at night.
“The noise level is unbelievable,” she said.
Neither woman was happy when they learned that the State Liquor Authority had granted Cheap Shots a special all-night permit to remain open until 8 a.m. Jan. 1, even though Community Board 8 had written to the agency asking that the permit be denied.
“I find it appalling they would do that when there’s so much outrage in the community,” Weiss said.
Eva Serrano, a co-owner of the bar, said Cheap Shots applied for the permit not necessarily to keep the bar open until 8 a.m., but because it is the birthday of one of the owners.
“We would just like the option of keeping friends and family inside without having to ask them to leave at precisely 4 a.m.,” she said.
She also said the bar spends a large portion of its profits on security, including having six to seven security members on staff work each weekend to maintain safety and keep noise levels at a minimum outdoors. She said the bar also works closely with the local police precinct to resolve noise complaints or other issues.
“For New Year’s Eve we are actually adding on extra security,” she said.
The 107th Precinct did not return calls for comment.
The SLA has 10 business days to approve an application once it is received and considers the licensee’s disciplinary history and security plans in its determination.
The district manager of CB 8, Marie Adam-Ovide, said the community may make objections during that time, but the community boards are not notified when a bar applies for a special permit. Therefore, community boards will not necessarily know about the applications unless the SLA or the bar chooses to tell them.
She said she wants to ensure the community board has say about such late nights in the future, and is asking some state Assembly members to draft legislation to require SLA to notify community boards when they receive an application for a special late night permit.
Reach reporter Karen Frantz by e-mail at kfrantz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
