Athens City Council met in committees Monday to discuss an ordinance concerning the punishment for fire safety violations for bar owners in Athens.
According to a previous Post report, new amendments would fine violators $150 on their first offense as a minor misdemeanor; a second offense within two years would be deemed as a misdemeanor charge of the fourth degree, 30 days of jail time and a fine of $250; a third offense within two years would be deemed as a misdemeanor of the third degree, 60 days of jail time and a fine $500; a fourth violation within two years is considered a misdemeanor charge of the second degree and call for a maximum of 90 days of jail time and a fine of $750.
Councilmember Micah McCarey, D-At Large, said the purpose of the discussion was to better understand the causes of those fire code violations and to determine what changes to local bar operations would most likely result in measurable reductions in fire code violations.
Lieutenant Dan Riley said the fire department has been doing bar checks for years, and it is always the same places with overcrowding problems.
“We want to provide a safe place for everybody, and we feel like we’re getting blown off because (of) the same thing time after time after time; $150 doesn’t seem to mean anything to (the bar owners),” Riley said. “We’ve had reports from them saying, ‘We don’t care, we’ll just pay it back.’”
Andrew Grillo, an attorney at Toy Law, LLC, representing Dan DeLuca and Daniel DeLuca, owners of Red Brick Tavern and Pawpurr’s Bar – located at 14 N. Court St. and 37 N. Court St., respectively– said his clients are OK with paying the proposed fines, but do not want the jail penalties or any sort of liquor license suspensions.
Don Pepper, owner of The C.I. and The Crystal -- located at 32 N. Court St. and 34 N. Court St., respectively -- said he wants to see a report of how many injuries have been caused because of overcrowding in bars, as well as a report of overcrowding occurrences in Athens.
Councilmember Ben Ziff, D-At Large, said he does not believe it is appropriate to base fire safety regulation on issues previously experienced.
“Fire prevention is the largest part of fire safety. It’s making sure that we don’t have issues by looking ahead and trying to look at where we are now,” Ziff said.
Councilmember Alan Swank, D-4th Ward, said before the body moves forward with the ordinance, a task force should be formed with representatives from bars in the city, the police department, the fire department and appropriate individuals from Council.
The task force could ensure the safety of any patrons walking into a bar and discuss sanctions that would serve as a deterrent to violating that safety, Swank said.
The ordinance was left tabled and will be discussed at a future committee meeting.
