Guidelines for cabaret developing

Two public hearings will be held on the proposed policy.
BROOKFIELD -- Brookfield Township officials say they haven't had any problems with the town's first-ever adult nightclub, which opened about six weeks ago.
"There aren't any complaints, but we want to make sure we don't have any," Trustee Janalyn K. Saloom said.
To that end, trustees Monday night approved a resolution to develop a "cabaret policy" for sexually-oriented nightspots. The trustees will set dates for two public hearings on the issue before it comes up for a vote at a future meeting.
Trustees said that since the township doesn't have zoning ordinances, they don't have a way to legally regulate adult businesses.
"We just want to make sure that everything is done legally and in order," Trustee Gary Lees said.
Trustee chairman Philip Schmidt said that the township has already done legal groundwork for the policy to make sure that it is consistent with state laws that regulate adult cabarets.
The policy will address such issues as operating hours, health regulations and the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, Schmidt said.
"These are hoops they have to jump through anyhow, and they're something we should have," Schmidt said.
Other considerations
In other business, the township has been offered the opportunity to buy 2.1 acres at the end of Strimbu Drive, near the township administration building. The land is owned by the Bottar family, longtime residents of the area. The family gave the township a Sept. 15 deadline to bid on the property.
Schmidt said township department heads will meet to determine if the land, which the family has tried to sell as commercial property, could be used in some way by the township.
The township is also considering the purchase of decorative lighting for the town green as part of a long-range plan to beautify its historic downtown.
Township Supervisor Jamie Fredenburg said the lights, which cost about $1,700 each, would be placed around the green to give the area an improved appearance.
"It's not for security," he said. "There's no crime around the green that I know of."
Currently only the flag and the gazebo on the green are illuminated by a spotlight.
Trustees also considered a letter from a local resident requesting that Nellie Street be made a dead-end street for safety purposes.
Fredenburg expressed reservations, telling trustees it's difficult to get grant money for work on dead-end streets.
"And for us to change a street based on one complaint would set a precedent," he said.