Council approves several entertainment licenses, tables two; residents urge stricter enforcement after Ice House complaints

The Lackawanna City Council voted April 7 to approve a package of entertainment licenses for local businesses, table two applications pending amended business registrations, and heard sustained public comment about noise from the Ice House Pub.

Council votes approved class 1 entertainment licenses for Abbott Lanes, Curley’s Grill, Matthew Gladpost and the Villa Banquet Center. The council tabled Sonny Red’s and Joker’s until those establishments amend their entertainment-license paperwork. A class 2 (coin-operated/mechanical reproduction) license for Dagerty’s Inc. was also approved. A separate request by the Ice House Pub for outdoor music dates in June, July and August failed for lack of a motion.

During the public-comment period several nearby residents and an Ice House representative described competing perspectives. An attendee identified in council paperwork as Lynette Walsh, owner of the Ice House Pub, was listed on the agenda as the applicant for outdoor music; at the podium a representative who described himself as a half-owner told the council the business relies on bands and karaoke to remain viable and that officers and patrons use the establishment. The representative said the Ice House does not currently use an outdoors decibel reader and indicated staff control of outdoor music volume is limited when the band is performing. “We don't actually control. It's the band,” he said, describing live outdoor sets that typically run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

Nearby resident Matt Lorton said he lives two blocks away and that outdoor bands at the Ice House regularly carry to his property. “I can't even hear my television,” Lorton told the council, describing a long-running problem he said occurs most Saturdays from 3 p.m. onward. Another resident, identified as Matt Adams, offered a video recorded on Sept. 21 demonstrating sound levels walking away from the Ice House.

Council members discussed how the city enforces the noise ordinance, noting the city’s code language that limits audible music beyond 50 feet of a property line (code citation discussed in remarks as §1595(a)). Councilmembers advised that approvals should be conditioned on compliance with the existing city ordinance and enforcement by building inspectors and the police department if complaints continue. Several councilmembers said licenses can be rescinded if an establishment exhibits a pattern of violations; they also discussed the practical limits of enforcement when complaints are frequent but not documented in writing.

The council took the following formal actions: Abbott Lanes, Curley’s Grill, Matthew Gladpost and Villa Banquet Center — class 1 entertainment licenses approved; Dagerty’s (class 2) approved; Sonny Red’s and Joker’s tabled pending amendment of their business registrations; Ice House Pub outdoor-music dates request failed for lack of a motion; Access of Western New York was approved to use the Lackawanna Senior Center for an April 26 event (Councilmember Moreno recused on that vote).

Council members urged businesses to follow the city ordinance and recommended that applicants clarify whether they mean indoor live music, outdoor live music, or mechanical reproduction (DJ/sound system/jukebox) on applications. Several members asked staff whether decibel-measurement devices exist and whether they have been used; staff said a device exists but had not been used in recent tenure. Council directed that when licenses are approved the permit language should be consistent with the city noise ordinance and that enforcement is the responsibility of inspectors and police.