Point Pleasant Council Approves Liquor License Expansion For Idle Hour

By Amanda McConnon
For The Point Pleasant Patch

The Point Pleasant Borough Council passed an ordinance Tuesday night expanding th Idle Hour’s liquor license to include an outdoor area, after it had tabled the ordinance the previous two meetings to get answers to its concerns.

Leon Linton, owner of the bar and restaurant located on Route 88 at Barton Avenue, provided the council with a blueprint showing the planned outdoor dining area and then answered questions from the council about those plans.

“You’ve done a lot to ease my concern,” Councilman William Borowsky said to Linton before the council voted unanimously to authorize the expansion of the license.

Linton said he plans to create a nonsmoking outdoor dining section, consisting of tables with umbrellas, which he hopes will create a “nicer ambiance for the restaurant.” To avoid minimize noise in the mostly residential area, there will be no outside bar and the area will not be seated past 9 p.m., he said.

“I want to build it the right way,” Linton said. “I wouldn’t be spending all this money if I wasn’t trying to do right by my neighbors.”

The restaurant is not scheduled to begin serving outside until construction is completed in the spring.

Also at Tuesday night’s meeting, Borowksy proposed the creation of a Skate Park Advisory Committee, in which he plans to include members of the community such as parents, business owners, and skaters, in order to assist with planning the park and enforcing its rules.

Councilman Christopher Leitner said a similar idea had been suggested previously but proved unsuccessful because the park would require policing, which Leitner said could not be reasonably be done by the police department and could not be done by citizens due to liability issues.

Borowsky said he and Councilman Joseph Furmato Jr. were determined to bring the idea to fruition.

‘ “I will remain positive,” he said. “We will make this work.”

Resident Peter Hagemeyer, who began a Change.org petition seeking bicycle lanes and signs throughout the town, spoke out about the unsafe biking and walking conditions brought to light by the Complete Streets ordinance last year.

“This landmark study told us all exactly what we already know: that walking and bicycling in Point Pleasant can be hazardous to your health,” Hagemeyer said. “Since the study was presented to the public, no actions or improvements have been made to our infrastructure.”

Hagemeyer urged the council to develop a committee to see to the improvements of bicycling conditions in the borough. Councilwoman Toni DePaola said she is looking for ways to fund such improvements, however, due to the amount of manpower and approval they will take, it is a slow process.