Lynn board revokes troubled club’s liquor license

LYNN – After racking up $40,000 in back taxes, a long reputation for trouble and taking a voluntary license suspension last fall, Kevin’s Cultural Center is no more.The License Commission voted 2-0 Tuesday, with Commissioner Richard Coppinger absent, to revoke the Central Avenue club’s liquor license.”They should have been here tonight,” said the commission’s attorney, Vincent Phelan.Phelan said despite the myriad of problems the club has faced over the years officials have always showed up for the hearings.”And there have been a lot,” he added.In 2011 the club lost its license for five days after alcohol was served to a minor, and a woman outside the club was kicked in the face and shot. The club was also shuttered on New Year’s Eve in 2006 after it failed to meet fire safety codes.Club owners were supposed to be on hand for Tuesday’s meeting to answer to complaints including a failure to renew its license, failure to resolve the tax issue, lack of location, and lack of management and control. The owners, however, were a no show, which did not seem to surprise the city’s Chief Financial Officer, Richard Fortucci, who was on hand to press the tax issue. Fortucci said no one from the bar has contacted him to set up a payment plan to address the back taxes despite an order from the board to do so.”This goes back to 2008,” Fortucci said. “They’ve been absolutely dormant on this for five years.”Phelan said with the vote to revoke the license the club is officially closed but it has a year to redeem the property, which includes paying the back taxes in full.”We’ve taken the property,” Phelan said.Phelan said the city actually claimed the property in August, which gives the former owners only six months to get it together before the city puts it up for sale.”It’s not a bad building,” said License Commission Chairman Patricia Barton.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].