The South Side Community Council drew four times as many people to its monthly meeting last night when it introduced its bar task force. Task force chairman Bruce Krane said a growing number of liquor license applications has caused concern in the neighborhood. “There’s been just an explosion of bars and bad activity,” Krane said. As of now, there are 100 bars and restaurants with liquor licenses in the South Side, 65 of which are on Carson Street, according to a mapping done by the South Side Local Development Company. “It seems like orange is becoming the official color of East Carson Street,” Krane said in reference to the orange placards that establishments must display to show they have applied for a liquor license. Council members and residents cited noise, public urination, vandalism and possible decreases in real-estate value tied to the bars as common concerns. “This (task force) was way overdue,” said South Side resident Josephine Rotolo, 70. Rotolo said she’s not anti-bar — she works in a restaurant that serves alcohol — but too many bad bars fill the neighborhood with unsavory drunks. Cmdr. RaShall Brackney said every Monday she receives seven or eight complaints about South Side bars in weekend reports. Based on the complaints, Brackney has placed Town Tavern, Fix’s Inn and Paparazzi Ristorante on a nuisance bar list. Elixir Ultra Lounge has been placed on the nuisance bar watch list. Elixir’s owner, Daniell Viszlay, was not aware she was on the list until contacted by the Trib p.m. Owners of the other bars on the lists did not return calls. “I run a very nice establishment,” said Viszlay, who attended last night’s meeting. She described Elixir as a lounge with a clientele of mostly 30-somethings. There had been one complaint about noise, which was rectified, she added. “The equipment that caused the high noise level has been removed,” Viszlay said. “One noise complaint in a matter of three and a half months hardly qualifies as a nuisance, and I’m not aware of anything else.” Still, Viszlay said she valued the task force’s objective of “trying to keep the good things going and eliminating the problems.” Krane clarified that the task force isn’t trying to rid the South Side of all bars. “We certainly have plenty of responsible bar owners in the South Side. We are not necessarily anti-bar,” Krane said. “We’re not attacking an industry, but we’re trying to defend a community.” Additional Information:

What makes a bar a nuisance? Drug activity, use or sales Visibly intoxicated persons Vandalism to property Illegal gambling Underage drinking Loud Noise After-hours sales Trash/litter Fights/Assaults Lewdness, patrons urinating outside Prostitution Gun shots

Have a complaint?

If there is an immediate problem, call 911. For non-immediate concerns, call the city police nuisance bar task force hotline at 412-323-7777. Keep a diary of all problems encountered with bars or bar patrons. Keep written records of formally lodged complaints. Go to www.southsidecommunitycouncil.org to obtain official police complaint forms, which will be made available on the Web site in a few days. Source: South Side Community Council

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