FARMINGTON – Selectmen granted a special entertainment and liquor license to a new catering company Tuesday after a heated public hearing.

Two Oaks Inc. recently took the place of Putters Golf Bar and Restaurant on the Fairbanks Road, and two abutters who objected to rowdy patrons at the former establishment spoke out against granting the license to Two Oaks.

Carol Timberlake of Edgewood Rehab and Living Center, which is across the street from Two Oaks, talked about how many of the 55 elderly residents paced the halls and recreation rooms into the night on weekends when revving engines and loud music kept them from sleeping.

When one of her employees walked over to ask the proprietor to turn the music down, Timberlake said, she was rudely turned away.

Another audience member – a residential abutter – told a similar story.

But one of Two Oaks owners, Courtney Messier, explained she and co-owner Vicki Adams only want the license for special occasions, like when they cater and host weddings in the building. Two Oaks is going to be a family-friendly place, not a rowdy bar, Messier said. Why should she and Adams have to pay the price for something they did not do, she asked.

Selectmen had little choice granting the application, because they are held to very stringent guidelines they must follow when approving or denying applications, Town Manager Richard Davis said.

Selectmen said they hoped and assumed Messier and Adams would be careful to respect their neighbors.

Worst case, Davis said, if music or rowdiness does disturb the peace of Two Oaks’ neighbors, abutters should document the infractions by calling the police, so selectmen have grounds to deny any renewal application.