Two events venues are scheduled to undergo state safety inspections today.
Club Rock and BJ3, on Rockhill Road and Old West Point Road, respectively, were visited this morning by the state fire marshals, who evaluated each building for proper exits, capacity and emergency lighting.
The results of each inspection will be given to the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office and Board of Supervisors to help craft an ordinance.
Starkville does not have safety regulations for civic venues, which don’t have alcohol licenses and typically are rented out.
County Fire Services Coordinator Kirk Rosenhan on Monday told the Board of Supervisors the inspection will be similar to the one performed at Cowbells Sports Grill last year. Cowbells, unlike Club Rock and BJ3, has resort status and serves alcohol.
“It’ll be up to the board to decide if that’s what they want to adopt, in addition to proof of liability insurance or anything else they might want,” Rosenhan said. “The aspect of public nuisance is a somewhat separate issue but will reflect what the marshals come up with.”
On Dec. 5, the board voted unanimously to authorize County Attorney Jack Brown and Oktibbeha County Sheriff Dolph Bryan to seek a temporary injunction to close Club Rock, following county police and fire safety reports that have deemed the venue hazardous. County officials opted not to seek the injunction and instead will wait for the marshals’ findings, which under state law, could temporarily shut down each venue until requirements are met.
“With the growth we’re having, it’s dictating the board being proactive about the overcrowding (at Club Rock),” said Orlando Trainer, District 2 supervisor. “Based on capacity alone, this will give the sheriff the wherewithal to shut it down.”
At the Dec. 5 meeting, the board heard a report from Bryan about insufficient security and chained exits at Club Rock. The board watched a police video of security peeling partygoers off a pile in the front doorway after gunshots were reported.
Bryan described parties at Club Rock as “out of control” and urged the board to develop an ordinance to help deputies to control the amount of people.
Larry Fair, owner of Club Rock, said he has since added two exits with emergency lighting on both doors. Fair said he’s also expanded the parking lot and added lights to accommodate emergency vehicles.
Fair told the board that safety is his “No. 1 priority.”
“I made the changes the very next week (after the Dec. 5 board meeting),” Fair said. “I didn’t know it was considered a hazard.”
BJ3 came under fire from neighbors due to late-night noise and speeding cars leaving the venue on weekends. Owner Brad Spencer, a county firefighter, is confident his venue will meet state requirements.
Gunshots were reported at BJ3, prompting several neighbors to attend the Dec. 5 meeting. But Spencer said there’s a distinction between his venue, which hosts more family-oriented events, and Club Rock, which hosts more adult-themed parties where alcohol is consumed.
“We’ve never had anyone arrested at our facility,” he said. “But because we’ve had the noise complaints, we’ve gotten a stigma that we’re unsafe. We follow the rules, and I’m in support of an ordinance. We try to do things the right way.”
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