NORWAY – A request to renew various licenses for Charlie’s Entertainment Center was tabled at Thursday’s selectmen’s meeting when an argument over parking at the Main Street bar erupted.
Paul Creamer, who has owned Charlie’s since December, had just begun to present information on his establishment at a public hearing when Arnold Pendexter, owner of the neighboring Norway Color Center, interrupted. “Everything with the parking is in the lawyers’ hands,” he informed selectmen.
Chairman George Tibbetts Jr. said after the meeting that some years ago Pendexter and the owner of Wiles Auto Body Shop, which also abuts the bar property, allowed the bar owner to have some of their parking spaces. Now, he said, there is a dispute over the spaces.
Creamer explained that he has spoken to surveyor Gary Inman about ownership of parking spaces adjacent to Charlie’s, the Color Center and the body shop, which fronts on Greenleaf Avenue. He had approached Pendexter and Kevin Wiles about paving the area to prevent potholes and damage to cars.
“I figured it was going to be all of us” paying for the project, Creamer said. “Evidently it didn’t turn out that way.”
Pendexter told selectmen that five years ago the space had been divided informally between the three businesses, with parking spaces set aside for each.
“Charles decided that wasn’t good enough,” he said. Addressing Creamer, he added, “You came to both of us (Pendexter and Wiles) and said you wanted a monthly payment” for use of the parking spaces.
“I never asked you once,” Creamer countered.
Selectman Russell Newcomb asked how many parking spaces were required by Creamer’s liquor license and coin-operated and special-amusement licenses. Since the board was unsure, Newcomb suggested that the discussion be tabled until it could consult with the Planning Board on the number of parking spaces required and the arrangements made when the bar got its permit.
Tibbetts agreed.
After the issue was tabled, Creamer mentioned that he had spoken to Police Chief Robert Federico about the matter. “I did have an incident,” he said, where Pendexter’s son came over, “threatened me, threatened to tow all the vehicles.”
“When you’re trying to throw somebody off his own property, what do you expect?” Pendexter said.
A heated argument broke out between Creamer, Pendexter and Creamer’s wife until Tibbetts called the meeting back to order.
Selectmen plan to revisit the issue at their Sept. 15 meeting.
In other business, Selectman Les Flanders said he had walked Beal Street with representatives of Pike Industries of Poland Spring, TW Paving of Lewiston and K&K Excavation Inc. of Turner. He said a few problems remained, such as water collecting and sewer covers being too low, but that K&K seemed “more than willing to solve the problem.”
“I think they did good work,” Flanders said.
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