Mike’s Place Sports Bar & Grill will remain closed until July 7, under terms of an agreement worked out with the City of Berwyn.
The bar, at 6319 W. Roosevelt Rd., which has a long history of noise complaints, rowdiness and violence by patrons, as well as numerous code violations by ownership, has been closed since a June 10 hearing.
Many of those problems have regularly spilled across the street into a residential neighborhood in Oak Park.
Under an agreement worked out with Berwyn officials, owner Mike Lapinard stipulated to six counts in the city’s 11-page complaint, agreed to the suspension and to a series of steps he’s required to take upon reopening the bar. He was also charged $500 in court costs.
Mayor Robert Lovero, who also serves as liquor commissioner, said Mike’s Place can have no more special events such as live music or DJ parties and other attractions without going through the process of obtaining an entertainment license.
“The license fees have exhausted for all special events associated with the standard B-1 tavern license,” Berwyn City Attorney Michael Ochsner, Jr said. “So therefore there’s no more DJ parties, special events, live (music) or anything of that nature, without obtaining an entertainment license that will allow him to do so.”
That is particularly significant, as those special events often created the worst problems at closing, with new people coming from as far away as the far southwest suburbs to attend.
Oak Park Chief of Police Shatonya Johnson said her department made a point of monitoring when the bar had such events. “We (tried) to find out when they were having special events because it seemed like when they had a special event that they had a larger crowd than their typical night.”
The end of special events at the bar was good news for Berwyn resident Mike Maskowski, who lives half a block away. “I think they’ll severely think twice before they hand out another (special events permit) to him, given the past precedents of what he’s done with these events,” Maskowski said.
Other conditions require that for a term of 60 days after re-opening Lapinard “shall conclude all liquor sales prior to midnight every day of the week, including the weekends and holidays when the hours are extended.” Ochsner said that after that 60 days, Mike’s Place will be required to “cut off liquor sales 45 minutes prior to closing to discourage binge drinking, and attempt a gradual dispersal.”
Security will “be on the outside of the business at all times and remain until the crowd is dispersed,” and will be “clearly identifiable.” The bar’s staff will also be required to clean up around the exterior of the bar and “and expand their removal of debris deposited by patrons in the surrounding community.”
Lapinard provided the city a list of manager candidates, with the understanding that the bar “will not operate without a licensed manager or the owner on premises.”
“Sir … do you understand all the terms of the order, and that (it is) what you’re willing to abide by,” Lovero asked Lapinard. “Yes,” he replied.
Maskowski said he’s satisfied, though he has doubts about Lapinard’s commitment, saying, “They’re giving him the rope to hang himself.”
“He’s got his rules now, and what he does with it is in his basket,” Maskowski said “If they violate this (order) they’re probably going to start shutting it down, because with everything that’s happened in the past, there’s a Roberts Rules of Order to doing things, and this is part of the Roberts Rules of Order.”
Maskowski echoed the frustration of Oak Park residents, saying, “I get tired of being woken up at 2 o’clock in the morning with the police cars coming because of what’s going on in front of his club,” he said. “This has been going on for years, so the rest of the residents are fed up too.”
“I hope he gets the point of what’s going on,” Maskowski said, “because the people in the neighborhood are just getting fed up with being disrespected by his clients. And I don’t think he realizes how badly his clients are disrespecting him, that they’re causing him this much trouble with his business.”
Chief Johnson said she and other Oak Park officials have good relations with Berwyn officials, and she wasn’t inclined to tell them how to address the situation. But she expressed concerns. She said she’s been meeting with south Oak Park residents regularly for the four years since she’s been chief. For a period there was progress. But the last year or so has seen an increase in major incidents.
“I’ll leave it to them to make a decision on how they want to handle it,” she said, adding, “I think that … if that business, if there was no longer a bar, it would provide Oak Park residents a bit of relief.”
Johnson acknowledged the long history of problems at 6317-6319 Roosevelt, saying, “It’s not just Mike and it’s not just that business. There were at least four different businesses there, four different bars, and each one has had the same issues. The issues are just — I shouldn’t say just — are progressively worse.”
Johnson said several recent disturbances were exceptionally troubling, in particular an April 19 incident in which 75 people were in the middle of Roosevelt Road at 2 a.m., refusing orders to disperse. All on duty police officers from Berwyn and Oak Park were summoned to deal with that disturbance.
“No business should ever require that much police presence,” Johnson said.