A popular bar in Athens has closed for renovations. Coincidentally, the establisment's liquor license has been suspended for the duration of the closure.
Over the past five years, Courtside Pizza has paid almost $25,000 in fines to the Ohio Liquor Control Commission for violations regarding selling alcohol to minors.
That's about an extra 50,000 pieces of pizza for you Slice Night lovers.
The most recent fine — totaling $15,000 — was paid Nov. 10 after a hearing in October in which the commission brought three separate cases against the bar at 85 N. Court St., according to the Ohio Division of Liquor Control's online database.
That fine resulted from a violation in September 2014; the second violation, also from September 2014, was dismissed and the third led to a 30-day suspension of alcohol sales that began Jan. 7, 2015, just a few days before students returned to Athens for Spring Semester.
When asked Thursday, Courtside owner David Cornwell would not comment on the current suspension, which is set to end Feb. 6, according to the online database.
For the past week, Courtside has been closed as it undergoes renovations. Cornwell said those renovations will be completed by the first week of February — just in time for the suspension to be lifted.
"Everything is going to be new," Cornwell said. "We’ve been here 15 years so we needed it."
To some students, the first few days of the semester haven't been the same without the popular bar and restaurant.
Andrew Bauschelt, a graduate student studying sports administration, said he and a group of friends would often frequent Courtside after class around 9 p.m. on Mondays.
After the planned renovations, students like Bauschelt may not even recognize the establishment.
"We’re going to redo the bathrooms, all new bathrooms," Cornwell said. "The kitchen is going to be redesigned so the front counter will be a little different, you’ll order in a different spot. We’ll have a separate pick-up door that we’re going to use all the time."
Alyssa Snyder, a junior studying communication sciences and disorders, said she wanted to stop by Courtside Wednesday night for pizza when she discovered it was closed, as it will be for the next three weeks.
"I love Courtside," Snyder said. "I wish they were still open to serve pizza even if they don’t have a liquor license."
Sam Porter, executive director of the Ohio Liquor Control Commission, said Courtside could have done just that.
"Suspension means they can be open and serve food, they just can't serve alcohol," Porter said.
The Ohio Liquor Control Commission has found Courtside in violation of selling alcohol to minors six times since October 2010, but this is the first time the bar has had to suspend sales of alcohol. Each of the previous violations resulted in the payment of a fine to avoid five other suspensions ranging from three to 30 days.
According to court documents, three underage individuals, who are listed as students in the Ohio University directory, were arrested in relation to the cases presented in court on Oct. 7 as well as two Courtside bartenders that served the three patrons.
In addition to Courtside, The J Bar, located at 41 N. Court St, also has an active violation listed on the online database. That bar, however, does not currently have a liquor sale suspension.
Maygan Beeler and Julia Fair contributed to this report.
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