The Westbrook Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to hear a second appeal of the revocation of the occupancy permit for Dreamers Cabaret.

The board is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Room 114 at Westbrook High School.

The strip club’s owner, Larry Ferrante, and his lawyer, Thomas Hallett, will ask the board to overturn a decision by Capt. Charles Jarrett, the city’s fire inspector, that the club should not be allowed to operate because of fire alarm and sprinkler system deficiencies.

Last month, Ferrante asked the board to reverse a decision by Code Enforcement Officer Rick Gouzie that the club did not meet state construction codes. Ferrante lost that appeal.

The strip club on Warren Avenue opened with nude dancing Sept. 17 and was shut down the next day. The city inspectors revoked its occupancy permits, and the club has not reopened.

Ferrante said Monday that he could not comment on the pending appeal, and Hallett could not be reached for comment. Ferrante has been working to make the building compliant with codes.

Police officers who were making a routine check of the commercial area near the club last month found several men and women in the building around 1 a.m. on a Sunday, with the lights flashing, music playing and a disco ball spinning.

Officers were told that the men were plumbers working on the club, and the women were serving them coffee. A fire inspector was summoned, but no citations were issued.

Shortly after Dreamers was shut down, the city passed an ordinance banning full nudity and alcohol in strip clubs, and setting a closing time of 1 a.m.

Hallett contends that the city revoked the club’s permits not because of code violations but because of the nature of Ferrante’s business. In a federal court case in October, lawyers for Ferrante argued that the city violated his First Amendment right to freedom of expression by shutting the club down.

But the judge refused Ferrante’s request for a temporary restraining order, saying the city raised significant public safety concerns and Ferrante had not demonstrated a strong likelihood of success based on the merits of his argument.

 

Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at: bquimby@pressherald.com

 

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