Club Pink owner expresses concerns about new policy

Some investors do not want their names to be known.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
BROOKFIELD -- Township officials are one step away from ratifying regulations to address adult cabarets and massage parlors, but owners of the only adult cabaret here are asking for a few changes in the proposed rules.
Trustee Gary Lees said the list of regulations could be ratified as early as next month after a third public reading. The adult cabaret, Club Pink on Standard Avenue, has been open since May.
The regulations proposed by trustees require a license from the township for all such businesses. Club Pink can apply after the regulations have been adopted.
The rules set hours of operation for the business between 10 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. Officials said the 2:30 a.m. closing time is the same time set for township bars.
The rules also require background checks for all owners and employees at the establishments and require annual inspections. The township has no zoning inspector, so annual inspections will be conducted by trustees.
Closing time challenged
Club Pink Owner Rick McConnell said he has no problem with the inspection process and other aspects of the proposed regulations, but he would like to keep the doors to his club open past 2:30 a.m. and would also like to keep private the names of some part-owners of the club.
The club currently closes between 4 and 4:30 a.m. McConnell said he would like to keep the doors open until 4:30 a.m., at least on the weekends.
"We are busiest late in the evening, and on weekends people come out later and stay later because they don't have to work in the morning. Closing earlier would tap into my income," he said.
McConnell said similar businesses in neighboring communities stay open past 2:30 a.m., and he has to compete with those establishments.
Lees said the 2:30 a.m. cutoff is needed to be fair to bars in the township, which are made to close at the same time. Club Pink has no liquor license, but patrons bring in their own alcohol.
Lees also said trustees are looking out for those who live near the club. He said the area is mostly residential. "At 4:30 in the morning, things should be a little more settled down," he said.
McConnell also said many of those with a stake in the club do not want to divulge their names to local officials. He would not say how many investors there are or why they do not want their names to be known.
Lees said trustees want to make sure that no one associated with the club has a felony or sexually oriented conviction. He said owners of the club should be a matter of public record.
Trustees have asked McConnell to put his concerns in writing, and they will be addressed at the next trustees meeting in early October.
jgoodwin@vindy.com