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Teen parties must end at club, township says

Authorities cite safety and security concerns.

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By Kelsey Cano, Staff Writer Updated 10:46 AM Thursday, June 3, 2010

LIBERTY TWP. — Officials have filed a preliminary and permanent injunction Wednesday, June 2, against Club Splat!, a local teen hangout, for violating its zoning and going over its occupancy limit, township officials said.

UrbanSplat, 7102 Hamilton-Mason Road, is a paintball and Laser Tag business by day. On Saturday nights, it turns into Club Splat!, for teens from 15-18 years old — or as owner Mark Pannek calls it, a teen party place.

According to documents filed with the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, Pannek was issued a Liberty Twp. zoning certificate in July 2009 for indoor paintball. Caroline McKinney, the township’s economic development director, said operating the teen dance club violates the zoning use.

View photos from the club's Facebook page.

“Like all businesses, they need to follow a process and procedure to make sure we have the correct zoning in place,” she said.

In addition to the zoning issues, authorities have concerns about safety, McKinney said. The maximum occupancy of the building is 182, according to a Butler County certificate of occupancy. On May 15, approximately 500 teens were in attendance, and on May 22, nearly 300 teens were in the club, according to township documents.

In photos on the club’s Facebook page, teens are lined up for nearly half a block to get in. Other photos show crowds of teen girls wearing bikinis and shirtless males dancing in bubbles.

On the page’s wall, some visitors used derogatory language about the females.

On May 16, a female patron said she was raped in the club’s parking lot. She said she was on the dance floor when she met a male, who later forced her into an SUV in the lot. She said he forcefully removed her shorts and performed sexual acts on her, according to Butler County Sheriff’s Office records.

Owner says there’s no problem

Pannek said he doesn’t think there is a zoning problem. He added that he’s not operating a club, but a place for teens to “hang out in a fun and safe environment.”

To enter, teens must present either a student ID or driver’s license to show their age, and an off-duty Butler County Sheriff’s deputy stands at the front door, Pannek said.

According to the sheriff’s office, the off-duty deputy had to call for backup on May 15 to deal with crowd control.

After learning of the club and its zoning violation, the township issued a cease and desist letter to Pannek on May 19 to close the club. He voluntarily closed the room on May 29, a move that upset some teens.

DeMonte Cole, a junior at Lakota East High School, said last week teens were upset with the township and the club’s indefinite closing.

“We work really hard all year to give the schools these excellent ratings, and finally something fun happens in this town and they’re going to shut it down,” Cole said.

When Pannek voluntarily closed the club, he said the move was temporary, which led to the injunction.

“If he had permanently closed, we wouldn’t have to do this,” McKinney said.

Pannek thinks township trustees don’t approve of the way teens dance. Officials reject his statement.

“We’re not trying to prevent young and responsible people from having fun,” McKinney said.

“From the trustees perspective, they have an obligation to not allow businesses to operate when its violating zoning and safety codes.”

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