Sand Bar, village, find grounds for compromise

By Annette Newcomb, Editor

Future operations of the Sand Bar and its location at the Lake Elizabeth Marina dominated Monday’s Twin Lakes Committee of the Whole meeting.

The bar has been in the crosshairs since it opened, pitting a large loyal customer base with neighbors who complained about noise from the bar and also the parking lot.

Last summer a standing room only crowd attended a village board meeting to show support for owner Carlo DiCarlo.

The Sand Bar is in a rare position, because most of the building laps onto Department of natural Resource property and because liquor is sold in the establishment.

In 2009 DiCarlo signed a 10-year lease. This included $2,000 per month rent but not less than $10,000 annually. That amount was offset by the cost of bathrooms DiCarlo added at the boat launch at a cost of $65,0000. He received a five-year rent credit in return, it was noted by village administrator Dave Cox.

Since DiCarlo opened in 2009 he has made significant improvements to the property and the operation has surpassed expectations when first presented to the board.

During Monday’s meeting DiCarlo’s attorney, Stephen Clubb sought changes in three particular points of the proposed amended lease.

The amended lease called for the Sand Bar to close at 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The Sand Bar would be open until midnight on Friday, Saturdays and the day before legal holidays and legal holidays. The third stipulation was that the music had to go off one hour before the bar closed.

Trustees debated the fairness of the stipulations and trustee Kevin Fitzgerald and Tom Connolly recalled noise complaints lodged from neighbors in the past.

Clubb noted DiCarlo is prepared to add a permanent, insulated roof to the business and agreed to close windows at 10 p.m. at night.

After much debate about the pros and cons and acknowledgement that DiCarlo now has security in the parking lot and there have not been any fights or motorcycles gunning their engines, trustees came to a tentative agreement.

Trustees, with Aaron Karow absent, agree that the Sand Bar can be open until 11 p.m. Monday through Thursdays and to midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sundays and the night before a legal holiday and the holiday. Also, DiCarlo does not have to turn the music off one hour before closing although the windows have to be closed at 10 p.m.  Both Connolly and Fitzgerald were not in agreement with allowing the bar to stay open longer and without more restrictions on when the music should be stopped.

All village-issued liquor licenses must be approved annual by the village board. Trustees noted if there are problems they can be addressed then.

 

In other news

• the vacant Lakeview Motel will be torn down in the near future. Trustee Sharon Bower said some of the buildings would be torn down and the Twin Lakes Fire Department will burn down the rest. No dates were given;

• after three lightning strikes have caused thousands in damages, the Committee of the Whole approved a $6,000 expenditure to have PieperPower install surge protectors and breakers on the main panel and emergency panel at the Twin Lakes Police Department;

• the COW gave its approval to an intergovernmental agreement between the village and the Town of Randall to share building inspector David Strudevent.


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