Presque Isle denies nude-entertainment license

PRESQUE ISLE – A business that faced no opposition last year in obtaining a nude entertainment license will no longer be allowed to present commercial displays of nudity on its premises after city councilors rejected an application for a license renewal.

The Presque Isle City Council on Wednesday night voted 4-3 against granting the license after a public hearing on the issue that raised questions about the wording of the city’s ordinance and whether the applicant met the criteria set forth in it.

K.B.S. Enterprises Inc., doing business as the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center on Main Street, sought the license. The establishment previously has hosted two “Playgirl” theatrical reviews.

Kevin Simmons of Portland is president of the company and also owns the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center. Simmons was unavailable for comment Thursday.

Debi Smith, convention center spokeswoman, said the business had no comment on the issue at this time.

Last year, council members unanimously approved a nude entertainment license for K.B.S. Enterprises Inc., the city’s first under its 2002 ordinance regulating commercial displays of nudity.

Several residents attended the Wednesday night public hearing on the license application, voicing their concerns about the morality of the issue and citing possible violations of the ordinance within the license application.

The Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center is too close to property owned by the University of Maine at Presque Isle, according to resident Bob Taylor.

The ordinance states that establishments seeking a license must not be located within 250 feet of the nearest property line of any public or private school.

The property in question, City Manager Tom Stevens explained on Wednesday night, is located across the street from the business, and is thought to be owned by the University of Maine System and used by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service. City officials’ interpretation of the word “school” did not include institutions of higher education, he said.

Another resident cited a different section of the ordinance, claiming that because the inn rents rooms to families, there likely would be individuals under the age of 18 entering an establishment that offers nude entertainment.

The ordinance states that no person under the age of 18 shall be admitted to any commercial establishment offering nude entertainment as a customer or patron.

Stevens said that as part of the license application, businesses are required to give exact specifications on where the nude entertainment will occur in the establishment, but that the ordinance does not clearly define the difference between a commercial establishment and an area within a commercial establishment.

The issues were enough to sway the council in voting against the license application, which it previously had approved.

Stevens said Thursday that city officials are seeking legal advice on the issues from the city’s attorney and likely will review the legal opinion during the next City Council meeting, at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, in council chambers.

From there, the city manager said, the council could take no further action or reconsider the matter.