Lakeside Grill Pays Fine, Gets Entertainment License

Lakeside Restaurant Bar & Grill paid the fine it owed Hopatcong after violating a borough construction law, according to a document Patch obtained via the Open Public Records Act, and was recently granted an entertainment license.

Lakeside Grill owed the borough $22,000 for a violation stemming from the removal of an interior wall without notifying construction officials in January 2011. But owners worked out an agreement with Construction Official Bill O'Connor soon after, paying a $1,000 penalty, according to the document.

The business also was given an entertainment license, which will extend through June. Its previous entertainment license was revoked in June 2010 due to the outstanding fine.

The business was initially fined $500 and given three weeks to resolve the violation of the State Uniform Construction Code Act with the borough.

But miscommunications on both sides marred attemps at reconciling, and because the fine increased $500 for each week past the first three, the fine had grown to $22,000 after 44 weeks, Borough Administrator Bob Elia said in December.

Manager Lina Pilinchi said Lakeside Grill removed a decorative wall during a redesign.

"It wasn't taken down because it was an unsafe structure," said Pilinchi, who also acknowledged the business should have contacted the borough before removing the wall. "That was a decorative wall that was put up."

O'Connor said he was pleased with the outcome.

"You take everything into consideration" when settling a fine, O'Connor said. "The penalty and stuff is really only put there because you want compliance. It's not to make money. All we're looking for is compliance, and that's a tool to get them to come into compliance."