{"id":21075,"date":"2019-05-22T15:24:57","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T21:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flovalleynews.com\/?p=21075"},"modified":"2019-05-22T15:24:57","modified_gmt":"2019-05-22T21:24:57","slug":"florissant-city-council-public-hearings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=21075","title":{"rendered":"Florissant City Council: Public Hearings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cigar Bar and Adult Day Care<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Dominate Meeting<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n

By Carol Arnett<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"City<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 In a public hearing, representatives for Smoke and Sip, at 411 rue St. Francois, came before the council to request permission to enclose a patio and pergola at the business.<\/p>\n

Anthony Bowlson and Tom Schoeffel spoke to the council at the hearing.<\/p>\n

Bowlson is the owner of Smoke and Sip and Schoeffel is with the company that would install the enclosure. Bowlson said the roof would be permanent and the walls would open and close. They would be made of fabric. Bowlson said that the police have been called for noise, but have not issued summons.<\/p>\n

Councilman Gerard Henke represents the ward in which the business is located. \u201cNo summons have been issued because the neighbors didn\u2019t want to initiate them,\u201d he said. \u201cWe welcomed you when you opened, and since then, we\u2019ve had numerous conversations about this and it\u2019s not being fixed.\u201d Henke said that he was hesitant to allow any changes to the business until they addressed the noise complaints.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have also been complaints about the smoke,\u201d said Councilman Andrew Harris. \u201cWould this help?\u201d<\/p>\n

Resident Steve Purgahn spoke to the council. He said he lives near the business. \u201cAfter the first month, the noise died down, then things picked up,\u201d he said. \u201cI called the police a couple of times. I rebut that this is not a music issue,\u201d he said in response to Bowlson\u2019s claim that is was people talking, not music, that residents were calling about.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can hear the bass,\u201d Purgahn said. \u201cI can feel it. We can\u2019t have our windows open.\u201d He also questioned how often the walls would be closed when it got hot out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know of two neighbors who moved who cited the noise as a reason. Those houses are now vacant,\u201d Purgahn said. \u201cI don\u2019t think enclosing the patio is going to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several other nearby residents echoed Purgahn\u2019s concerns. One said the smoke smell was so bad that she could not open her windows without it getting inside. They complained about the noise of the people in the bar and also about people lingering after the bar closed and talking outside and revving up their engines when they left. One also said she heard the business take out the trash every night after 1 a.m.<\/p>\n

City Attorney John Hessel provided statistics from the Florissant Police Department. Between April 27, 2018, and May 7, 2019, he said, the police responded to 64 calls for loud music, a peace disturbance, or public nuisance at Smoke and Sip. In that same period, he said, police responded to three calls at Bunker\u2019s, also on St. Francois. In that same period, he said, police responded to three calls at Bunker\u2019s, also on St. Francois.<\/p>\n

Hessel said that police can patrol, but will not issue summons unless a resident initiated the complaint. He said that in previous cases like this, the petitioners will often hire an audiologist to see if the proposed solution will help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will you do when it get hot?\u201d Councilman Jackie Pagano asked Bowlson. \u201cI can\u2019t see people sitting out there with the walls down when it hit 90 degrees.\u201d<\/p>\n

The council voted to continue the hearing until June 10. Bowlson said he would get an expert opinion before then.<\/p>\n

In the other matters, the council voted down a bill that would allow an adult day care at 620 N. Highway 67, in Florissant Meadows Shopping Center. Only two councilmen favored it.<\/p>\n

This is the third proposed adult day care in recent months that wanted to go into a shopping center. Several council members have said they will always be opposed to the centers going into shopping centers, citing traffic and safety concerns. LaShonda Mays would be one of the owners of the center, along with her husband. She asked the council members to reconsider their stance.<\/p>\n

Harris and Councilman Robert Parsons both said that they did not have a problem with the centers. Harris said that there was a need in the city and the shopping center developers wanted the center. The other council members voted against allowing the business at that location.<\/p>\n

IN OTHER ACTION, THE COUNCIL:<\/strong><\/p>\n