Originally published in the February 6, 2007 print edition of The Lantern. It is posted here unedited.
Friction between north campus residents and area bar owners continues to escalate following a complaint by the University Area Commission against four campus bars.
Miani’s, Ledo’s Lounge, The Nuthouse and The Little Bar were all cited in the objection filed by the UAC in October.
With the support of Columbus City Council, the commission asked for the liquor licenses of all four bars not to be renewed, said UAC president Ian MacConnell. It is now awaiting approval by the Ohio Liquor Control Commission and could take as long as a year before a decision is made.
“There is a long history of resident complaints of the four bars,” MacConnell said. “They are interfering with the good order of this neighborhood.”
The objection contained a summary of police reports filed against the bars, which included 14 arrests for underage drinking in one week, as well as noise and fire code violations.
Steve Niswonger, owner of Ledo’s Lounge at 2608 N. High St., said he feels north end bars are being unfairly targeted.
“I’ve been here 27 or 28 years,” he said. “Some of these residents haven’t been here that long.”
Local residents shouldn’t complain when bars are noisy, he said.
“Isn’t that like moving in next to the airport and (complaining) about the planes?” Niswonger said.
Ledo’s underwent two surprise inspections on Aug. 29 and Sept. 5, 2006, carried out by the Columbus Division of Police and the Columbus Code Enforcement and Liquor Control. Two patrons were arrested for underage drinking and another for having a fake ID.
Niswonger denied that the underage patrons were served, saying they might have brought the alcohol in themselves.
Kenny Atkinson, manager of Miani’s Bar and Grill at 2619 N. High St., said he was upset by the commission’s decision and believes the complaints to be unfounded and unnecessary.
“Not one single person in this community has asked to talk to me. We weren’t aware (residents) were this mad at us, so we’re willing to do whatever it takes,” he said.
Matt Mullins, a spokesman for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, which oversees all liquor licenses, said Miani’s was cited for unsanitary conditions as well as underage drinking. The inspectors found insects and solid debris inside beer bottles, he said.
Atkinson said he thought the accusation of insects in his bar was unfair.
“There was only one fruit fly in one bottle in the entire bar. One bottle out of more than a hundred bottles had a fruit fly in it. It is extremely difficult to make sure there are no flies in bottles but we do the best we can,” he said.
Catherine Girves said the situation has evolved throughout the last few years and has gotten worse. Girves, a UAC commissioner, said OSU students are not the only patrons who go to the bars. There have been an increasing number of high school students frequenting them as well, she said.
Columbus police officer and community liaison officer Larry Geis, said he has seen first hand the problems created by the bars. Residents are not complaining about students having fun. The problem is “when you go outside and think ‘I can do what I want out here, too,’” he said.
“I’ve received calls about people having sex on a car hood, people banging on signs repeatedly at 2 a.m., people peeing on people’s porches. I’ve written 30 citations in just one night,” Geis said.
Despite the large number of college students who frequent the bars, Geis said he is not concerned about student behavior if the bars are closed.
Atkinson disagreed.
“A lot of (the surrounding apartments) are student housing,” he said. “So if they close down the bars, what are (the students) going to do? They’ll have parties in their houses.”
Brian Rothenberg, a senior in logistics management, serves on the OSU Undergraduate Student Government as well as the UAC. He said OSU students are likely part of the problem, but high school kids are worse. The bars offer rotating 18-and-up nights, which in turn cause more problems within the community, he said.
UAC president MacConnell continues to receive complaints.
He said the bars need to take some responsibility for things that happen on their property, citing recent complaints of bar patrons becoming raucous in nearby parking lots. In the past, bar security guards have refused to go into parking lots for liability reasons, MacConnell said.
When asked how he would respond to upset students if the liquor licenses are not renewed, MacConnell said he believes most students would agree the north campus bars are acting irresponsibly.
“I have a higher appreciation for our neighborhood, and as young as you are, you can still make a difference and not find reasons to behave poorly,” he said.
