LEWISTON – Park Street may not be the place for night life, according to one city official.

“What we have to realize, we have elderly people trying to live their lives right there,” said City Council Lillian O’Brien. “But people from the bars, leaving in a happy condition, make it hard to do that.”

O’Brien said she’s heard complaints from elderly residents of Oak Park, the apartment building across Oak Street from the city’s parking garage. Patrons from two Park Street bars, the Blue Elephant and Club Adrenaline, make too much noise as they leave the bars and walk to their cars in the parking garage, she said.

“They don’t just leave and go home,” O’Brien said. Residents claim bar patrons linger outside for a long time, yelling, laughing and fighting.

O’Brien is recommending the city change zoning rules along Park Street, closing the area to bars and nightclubs once and for all.

That wouldn’t get rid of the clubs there now, but it would put them on notice.

“They have to know that we are absolutely serious about any code violations,” O’Brien said. “They have to take more responsibility now. But we need to really consider if they should be there at all.”

Councilors are scheduled to discuss O’Brien’s idea at their regular meeting Tuesday night. If other councilors agree, they’ll ask the Planning Board to change zoning rules along the street.

Joan Green, 70, a one-year resident at Oak Park, said problems for residents really began in August. The Cellar Door, a popular nightclub in Auburn, closed its doors after Auburn police complained of rowdiness there.

Green said she thinks the bar’s patrons, mostly young 20-year-olds, began coming to Park Street.

“When it’s 1:30 in the morning and you can’t go to sleep, that’s a problem,” she said. She doesn’t have a problem with the bars themselves and said she never hears loud music.

“But they sure make a lot of noise when they leave,” she said. And the yelling, fighting and noise can continue past 2 a.m.

“That’s when they all should be home in bed,” she said.

Lewiston police acknowledged complaints have increased since the Cellar Door’s clientele moved to Park Street. Police might have heard a couple of complaints a week before, but now routinely respond to as many as seven calls each week.

“And all of it occurs on three or four nights a week,” said police Lt. Mike McGonagle. “Not to mention, we have officers and patrols in that area every night to quell problems before they get started. So, we devote a lot of resources down there.”

Carmine Cartonio, owner of Club Adrenaline, said his staff tries to keep peace with his neighbors, even posting a bouncer at the corner of Oak and Park streets when patrons are leaving.

“But realistically, I don’t know if I should be held responsible for something that happens more than a block away from my club,” he said.