Fixx Nightclub Must Abide by Strict Liquor License Conditions Upon Reopening

As of Sunday night, all was dark and quiet at the embattled Fixx nightclub.

But the club is expected to reopen soon, with strict conditions imposed as they apply to the liquor license, after a mandatory 20-day shut-down following a couple of melee incidents that spilled onto Red Bank's streets and wreaked after hours havoc in the borough.

The club is permitted to open after Jan. 21 and not before. And when it does, the rules enforced by the borough will be in effect.

At a Borough Council meeting before the temporary closing, Mayor Pat Menna went over those conditions for going forward at the business.

They are as follows:

• No music is permitted after 1:30 a.m.;

• All windows and doors are to be closed when music is playing;

• At all times, a mandatory ratio of one security officer to 75 patrons will be in effect;

• A minimum of two security staff members will be stationed outside of the property from 1:30 am to the point at which the crowd has dispersed, to assure that patrons leave the area in a safe and orderly manner;

• All floors and security staff must be distinctively and uniformly attired so that they are easily identifiable to patrons and police;

• Identification information on ejected and/or arrested patrons will be retained on a banned list of patrons by the licensee and given to police, and those people will not be allowed subsequent entry;

• Signs listing patron code of conduct rules will be placed at the entrance and throughout the inside;

• All criminal activity is to be reported to police as it occurs or is about to occur;

• Special events, appearances and promotions must be announced to the police chief within 72 hours;

• The licensee is to meet on monthly basis with the police chief to review policies, procedures and how they are or are not working;

• All flyers, cups and debris shall be cleaned from the front of the premises and throughout the inside throughout the evening;

• The licensee will conduct occupancy counts throughout the night and those counts will be supplied to police.

The fact that such conditions are not currently in existence on any other licensee in the borough "demonstrates the seriousness, severity and. pardon the pun, sobriety with which council is looking at this," Menna said at the meeting last month.

The conditions placed on the license will follow that license, or be applied to it even if sold,  unless amended or rescinded by the mayor and council, Menna added.

"This gives a clear and loud message to our businesses that the protections of our neighborhood and quality of life are more important than a single business and that it (bad behavior) won't be tolerated," Councilman Michael DuPont said.

Menna added that there are also various code violations that are being addressed at the municipal court level that do not affect the license, but in December were still outstanding.