The Westbrook City Council has delayed a vote on renewing the liquor license for the Skybox Bar & Grill on Brown Street until May 1.
At its meeting Monday night, the council was split on whether to vote on the motion and, further, whether to renew the license. Bill Dale, the city’s attorney, suggested delaying the vote so that the council, administration, and police department could find out more about how the bar contributes to disturbances and crime in the neighborhood. City officials will also use the time to come up with policies that might mitigate the bar’s effect if the council renews its liquor license.
Several residents of Brown Street spoke at the meeting, including bar owner Tom Dore, who said that the bar was not the cause of much of the disturbances in the area and that he has made efforts to improve the situation.
Steven Bacon, who lives in the neighborhood disagreed, saying that while the Dore’s have made an effort to improve the situation inside and outside the bar, incidents happen fairly regularly, including ones that spill onto his own property.
Cindy Murphy of the Frenchtown Community Association conceded that it wouldn’t be fair to deny the Dore’s a new license given the efforts they have made, but said she felt that a bar in the neighborhood is not a good fit.
“I don’t think we have any choice but to grant the license,” she said. “We don’t want to have a bar there, but we have to deal with reality. And I think that we need to focus on the future and trying to make sure that another bar cannot take over that business.”
Murphy said that she didn’t feel the city council had the power to reject the application, citing an incident when the bar was still Andy’s Tavern and the state granted the license despite the council and administration’s refusal. During the meeting Dale said the city might have a case to refuse to renew the license if the residents had sufficient complaints.
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