ARNOLD: Residents in the 1900 block of Leishman Avenue, upset with disturbances that they claim are created by a social club, have asked the city to close the establishment. Forty-one residents purportedly signed a petition in support of the request. As a result, police and the state Liquor Control Enforcement Bureau of the state police are investigating. The bar - The Grottese Club - is at 1905 Leishman Ave., near Drey Street. Residents complained that club traffic leaves them nowhere to park and that noise creates too much of a disturbance late at night. Residents also complained of excessive littering. Most residents listed parking as their main concern. Most homes need two parking spaces along the street. Residents said they often are forced to park more than a block away from their homes. Residents also said that their vehicles have been blocked in on occasion by club traffic. 'This is a very quiet neighborhood,' said Marion Weber, the resident who circulated the petition. 'We don't need this. It's a nuisance bar and we want to get rid of it.' But if history is any indication, the offenses that the neighbors accuse the club of creating would not lead the state liquor board to close the club. Other area bars have been shut down in connection with illicit drug sales or shootings - issues far more serious than parking complaints and littering. Sometimes, however, the LCE cites bars for excessive noise. The club has been operating for many years under various owners, and at times has been closed. The Fratellanza Grottese and Friends of America Lodge 208 now holds the club's liquor license. Club officers, according to the LCE, are: Kenny Stitt, president; Louisa Adams, vice president and manager; and Deborah Vernon, secretary and treasurer. Stitt said he's unaware of the petition. He said the club recently changed hands three times and he's waiting for new officers to be selected. He said he's in limbo as president and doesn't even go to the club anymore.The club's liquor license, which is good for two years, was issued in May 2000. Last month, a state police task force seized 25 video gambling machines in Arnold and New Kensington. The Grottese Club was one of those locations Police Chief Ron Hopkins said the investigation into complaints could lead to the club being deemed a nuisance bar. 'That would be a worst-case scenario,' he said. 'These problems have really just arisen within the past two months,' Hopkins said. 'There's been a resurgence there lately, but we don't know what to attribute it to.' Hopkins said police have been patrolling the area. No arrests have been made, he said, although a number of parking citations have been issued. Hopkins said violence hasn't surrounded the club. A spokeswoman for the LCE would not comment on the bureau's investigation. Michael Aubele can be reached at maubele@tribweb.com

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