Vickery’s Bar and Grill petitioning for change to Mount Pleasant Noise Ordinance after being cited

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – A Shem Creek restaurant is fighting a nearly five hundred dollar fine they were issued last week for being too loud. “Vickery’s” was ticketed for violating Mount Pleasant’s noise ordinance back on Monday, July 26th around 5:30 in the afternoon.

The town’s noise ordinance bans amplified music but Vickery’s Booking Manager Jacob Robertson says they’ve had live amplified music for years with little to no problems. Robertson says it’s unfair for the opinion of a select few individuals to outweigh the opinion of thousands of people at one of the city’s largest economic engines.

You’d be hard pressed to find a night without live music on Shem Creek in fact it’s been that way for years.

“This is the entertainment epicenter of Mount Pleasant,” says Robertson. “You know were bringing in lots of business, people are coming here and spending money, generating money for the town.

Town Councilman Gary Santos says it’s not the first time a business has been ticketed for a noise violation.

“You know amplified music is okay as long as it’s not offending somebody but once it starts offending people then you start having issues,” says Santos.

Last Monday Vickery’s was handed a $475 dollar ticket for a noise ordinance violation. Since receiving a ticket, Robertson has created a petition asking for the town to make changes to it’s noise ordinance to increase music leniency during late afternoon and early evening hours.

“What I would like to see happen is them amend the ordinance to allow a specified time and then even you know a decimal level to allow it at certain points,” says Robertson.

Robertson has handled music bookings at the restaurant for five years, he says there has to be some give and take for the town’s largest economic engine that attracts thousands every weekend.

“Their point, their voice should matter too as opposed to two or three people that are really the ones causing the problems,” says Robertson.

A delicate balancing act, Mount Pleasant Councilman Gary Santos says the town isn’t proactively looking to issue fines but says there has to be some accountability.

“You know we’ve got an ordinance and I think as long as they keep the music down to where the people in the restaurants can hear the music but the people across don’t I think they’re be okay,” says Councilman Santos.

A petition to make a change, Santos says a better option is to strike a favorable balance that works for all parties.

“You can have amplified music it just has to be lowered,” says Santos. “As long as no none complains you’re okay.”

Live music serving as a vital aspect of life on the Creek. Robertson is hopeful to keep the party alive without disturbing the peace.

“I’m not trying to shake anybody’s pictures off their walls you know no one here is trying to do that but you know we want to make sure that our patrons are enjoying themselves and that’s what brings them here,” says Robertson.

A spokesman with the Mount Pleasant Police Department confirms they are in the process of setting up a meeting with Shem Creek business owners and managers in regards to the town’s noise ordinance.

Robertson’s petition has gained more than a thousand signatures so far.