Green Knoll Violates Liquor License Restrictions With Amplified Music

Because of a recent violation of the conditions of its liquor license, the township council tabled a resolution Thursday to approve a renewal of the license for the with the new condition to allow for .

Residents spoke out at the meeting, saying that they have, for years, endured loud music in the evenings, and, recently, the music has been amplified on the patio.

“I don’t want to listen to live rock band music until 2:30 in the morning,” said Cain Court resident Daria Melnyczuk. “For years we have complained to no avail.”

“We are pleading to do something so we have some quality of life,” she added.

Last month, the council approved a resolution to amend the license to allow for outdoor music to be played on the patio of the restaurant. The amendment allows for the restaurant to have acoustic guitars with accompanying vocals on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. during the season when the patio is open.

The music is not allowed to be amplified.

Although the amendment was already approved at a previous meeting, the council was expected to approve the renewal of the license with the new condition at Thursday’s meeting.

Now the council said it has to reconsider this renewal based on findings by health and human services director Chris Poulson, who discovered that the Green Knoll Grille was violating terms of its license.

In response to concerns from residents, Poulson said, he drove to the bar on a recent evening, and found that there was amplified music on the patio and at the tiki bar.

“I talked to the owner about the amplified music because that was a violation of the conditions of the liquor license,” he said. “The owner said they needed to use the microphone so the vocals could be heard. He said it would stop immediately, which it did.”

Poulson said he returned to the restaurant Thursday, and to Cain Court, and there was no audible or amplified music on the patio.

But Melnyczuk said residents on Cain Court have been dealing with the loud music continuously for years, and, even when the music is inside, the bands play near walls with glass windows.

“For years, they were restricted from having live patio music, but in the last two weeks they have had it,” she said. “I want to get my six hours of sleep.”

Cain court resident Maribel Higgins said she finds she cannot even open her windows in the evenings because the music tends to wake up her children.

Councilman Matthew Moench said he would like a representative from the Green Knoll Grille to come before the council at a future meeting to discuss the liquor law violation.

“They just came here to request it, and we made it very clear that the music was not to be amplified,” he said. “We asked questions about it, and I’m very distressed that we just went through this a month ago and now there’s a violation.”

“I would like to see someone from the restaurant come, and have us able to ask questions given how recent this was,” he added.

Melnyczuk requested that representatives from the township drive by the restaurant at around 1 a.m., rather than during normal evening hours, so they can hear the music for themselves.

Township administrator Robert Bogart said they would entertain that idea and look into doing so.

The council opted to table the resolution until June 20 with the understanding that someone from the Green Knoll Grille will be present to discuss the violation.