Public Hearing Tonight Could Decide Fate of Plymouth's Rock Bar & Grill

The public has a second chance to weigh in tonight on the fate of the Rock Bar & Grill, a downtown Plymouth establishment that could face revocation of its state-issued liquor license after numerous City of Plymouth Liquor Management Ordinance violations.

The public hearing will take place at the Plymouth City Commission's 7 p.m. meeting today at Plymouth City Hall.

A public hearing was previously held Dec. 17, but the lawyer for the business was unable to attend. 

In a memo for the Dec. 17 meeting, City Manager Paul Sincock indicated recommending revocation of the business' liquor license to the State of Michigan's Liquor Control Commission "is a viable option," but acknowledged most businesses try to bring their operations "back into line with community standards."

The city documented in its Dec. 17 meeting packet a list of ordinance violations and operational problems dating back to 2009, including the following offenses:

• A 2009 arrest of a bar employee on charges of operating while intoxicated after consuming drinks at the Rock Bar & Grill and registering a .179 blood-alcohol content — more than twice the legal limit of .08. 
• A 2010 arrest of a bar patron registering a .30 BAC — nearly four times the legal limit. 
• A 2011 arrest of a bar patron who registered a BAC of .22—nearly three times the legal limit—after her vehicle crashed into a light pole.
• Police finding a man passed out in front of an adjacent funeral home and deemed by police to be "extremely intoxicated." The man refused a test for BAC. 
• A Jan. 7 arrest of a man who had reportedly blacked out from drinking before entering the Rock Bar & Grill, was then served additional drinks before exiting the bar and assaulting a woman on Penniman Avenue. The man registered a BAC of .253.
• A March 10 report of fighting at the bar where a man who had become aggressive with responding police officers registered a .144 BAC.
• A July 27 citation for serving beer on an outdoor patio of the business at 4 a.m. — two hours past the 2 a.m. curfew for serving alcoholic beverages. 
• A Sept. 2 arrest of a bar patron who had crashed into a business on South Harvey, registering a .15 BAC.
• An Oct. 7 report of three men assaulting the manager of the Rock Bar & Grill in an adjacent lot after reportedly drinking at the business. 
• A Dec. 2 arrest of two men accused of leaving the bar, each with an open alcoholic beverage container. The men reportedy registered BACs of .253 and .214.
•  A Dec. 6 report of a woman lying in the roadway on Penniman Avenue whose male accomplice told police the two were drinking at the Rock Bar & Grill before the woman collapsed while trying to enter the man's vehicle. Police registered a .313 BAC from the woman and a .226 from the man. 

Patrons of the bar defended the business' operations at the Dec. 17 public hearing.

Chelsea Cunningham, who told the City Commission she and her husband are regular patrons at the Rock Bar & Grill, said the bar upholds a professional and safe atmosphere.

"They have called a cab for us many times," she said. "They make sure we get home safe."

Other patrons noted that bar employees have personally offered rides home to patrons in danger of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, or have at least offered to pay for a taxi.

Janet Adkins, who lives across from the bar in a condominium on the 800 block of Penniman Avenue, told commissioners the bar and its patrons have been the source of loud noises and safety concerns.

"During the summertime I can sit on my balcony and watch the intoxicated people walk out of that bar, stumble to cars and stumble to the parking structure," Adkins said during the hearing.