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Nuisance Bar in West Hazleton?

WEST HAZLETON — Police are focusing attention on a bar they call a nuisance to the community. They said they’ve been called to the place several tim...

WEST HAZLETON -- Police are focusing attention on a bar they call a nuisance to the community. They said they've been called to the place several times since it opened in March.

It's in a section of West Hazleton that is quiet during the day, but in the evening, it's a different story.

"It`s too loud. I don`t want it bothering my kids. It kind of irritates me, especially during the summer. You have the window open, and you can hear everything," said one resident.

Neighbors point to Ivanna's Bar and Restaurant on West Green Street as a problem place in the borough. It's where one man was shot in the neck over the weekend. Within 24 hours, the bar was cited by state police for three noise violations.

"We obviously can`t have this continue. We can`t have this type of business in our borough and in a residential district," said West Hazleton Police Chief Brian Buglio.

West Hazleton Police Chief Brian Buglio said his department has responded to noise complaints at Ivanna's more than 10 times since it opened in late March. He said his department, the state police, and the state Liquor Control Board have all cited the bar several times. He said it's becoming a nuisance bar.

"The state police drive by, they hear the music, they cite them. They come by an hour later. They cite them again. Obviously this bar has no regard for law enforcement or the neighbors that live in the area," said Chief Buglio.

"One time there was a fight right in front of the house. I thought they were on my porch," a neighbor told Newswatch 16.

Chief Buglio said it's up to the LCB and borough code enforcement officials to declare Ivanna's a nuisance bar and shut it down. He said the borough is looking for a new code enforcement officer, and the LBC is already keeping its eye on the place.

Caution tape hanging near the bar is just another reminder of all of the problems the bar has caused in the last several months. One neighbor said she wants to leave.

"I wasn`t too keen living next to a bar, especially with kids. It`s not my ideal place."

West Hazleton does have a nuisance property ordinance in place, but again it's up to the state Liquor Control Board and code enforcement to act on it. The man who was shot over the weekend is still in critical condition at a hospital near Allentown, according to police. So far no one has been arrested.

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