Tavern's closure improves city block.

Byline: Jack Moran The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - Antique shop owner Marilyn Skinlo says the 400 block of Main Street seems to have cleaned up and quieted down since a problematic downtown tavern shut its doors in May.

"Things are getting better now," said Skinlo, who owns Mare's Place at 448 Main St.

She no longer sees people congregating on the sidewalk in front of neighboring spaces once occupied by JT's Place, which is now closed, and Club 420, which remains in oper- ation.

"It's good for all of us down here," she said.

Springfield police Sgt. Rich Charboneau also has seen a change. Since JT's Place shut down, officers have noticed fewer people loitering on the sidewalk.

"It's true," Charboneau said. "Those two bars were establishments right next to each other where people were allowed to congregate outside. When one of them stopped serving alcohol, I guess people might expect to see (activity) cut in half. But we've seen even more of an impact than that."

The area has troubled city officials for some time. Serious about a revitalization effort in downtown Springfield, the City Council in April voted to recommend that state officials not renew Club 420's liquor license - an action that, if supported by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, would put the bar out of business.

The council vote was prompted by the high number of police calls to the tavern at 420 Main St. Officers responded to seven reported assaults at the address over a nine-month period ending in March. Over that same period, police arrested 19 people in and around the bar.

Club 420's owner, Jack Dugger, maintains that some of the calls ascribed to his bar actually unfolded on the sidewalk in front of JT's Place at 414 Main St., which never posted a storefront sign indicating the tavern's name.

Dugger said he believes that whenever a problem along the sidewalk fronting both bars was reported to police, callers asked for officers to respond to the more well-known Club 420.

State liquor licensing officials don't dispute Dugger's claim.

"The calls for service are related to that area, and it is hard to determine how many originated from (Club 420)," OLCC Regional Manager Pete O'Rourke said.

OLCC has been monitoring Club 420 closely for a year. Acting on a tip from an anonymous downtown business owner, an undercover inspector last July visited the business and found people smoking marijuana on the bar's outside patio. He also overheard a female patron apparently discussing her most recent prostitution client, according to an OLCC incident report.

The incident led OLCC to immediately notify Dugger that his club's license could be revoked if illegal activities continued there. Police and agency officials subsequently allowed Dugger to develop a plan to address the problems. The club has since installed a video system to monitor the sidewalk, repainted the building's exterior and agreed to keep the patio closed until lights and cameras are added.

"We are working with them on a business plan, and from what we've seen, they seem to be making progress with that," O'Rourke said.

The increased oversight of Club 420, coupled with the closure of JT's after the arrest and conviction of the bar's owner, Jeffery Sprenger, on a felony assault charge, "is starting to impact the area" in a positive way, police Sgt. Charboneau said.

City Councilor John Woodrow said he's pleased to hear that police and neighboring business owners report reduced loitering in front of the bars. But he believes that the council was correct to oppose renewal of Club 420's license.

"There's no question in my mind that what we did was the right thing," Woodrow said. "Hopefully, things will continue to improve."

Skinlo, the antique shop owner, hopes that daytime business will pick up now that the number of people milling about in front of the bars has diminished.

"We need to let people know there's been a change," she said. "We need to get the people back down here that maybe were scared off before."