Strip bar review in Ada more stringent

Judd Morse Staff Writer

Ada January 12, 2009 04:44 pm

— Now that a gentleman’s club has been opened in Pontotoc county, some wonder whether or not such an establishment could be opened within city limits.
According to Ada ordinance, night clubs and dance halls, like bars, lounges or taverns, are eligible for business permits within the C-2 general commercial district of town, provided they are approved by a review board. “You’d have to appear in front of the planning and zoning committee and tell them what you’re doing,” said Ada Public Information Officer Mark Bratcher. “They’d have to be able to notify all the neighbors, they’d have to look and see if (the proposed establishment) would violate any city ordinances, such as is it within (too close a proximity) of a school or church. All those kind of things.”
While there would be a daunting amount of hoops to jump through to complete the process and to stay in business, a strip bar could technically be opened within the city limits. “Kind of the rule of thumb here is that if the state of Oklahoma has a statute that allows it, which obviously they do because there are strip bars (in other parts of the state), it’s hard for (Ada) to pass something that’s contrary to that,” said Bratcher. “Now I’ve been in Ada a long time and I don’t ever remember one being in Ada. As far as I know there’s never been one, and frankly I hope it stays that way.”