Point Pleasant Bars Appeal Midnight Closing Law

Boardwalk bars in Point Pleasant are asking the state to block an ordinance that would force them to close at midnight starting in July.

The businesses and Point Pleasant Beach are embroiled in a bitter dispute over the role that bar patrons play in quality-of-life disruptions near the bars on the way back to their cars in the early morning hours.

Martell’s and Jenkinson’s oppose the borough’s offer to let bars remain open until 2 o’clock if they pay additional fees for more police patrols, calling it “extortion.”

The two sides are also battling over a plan that prohibits overnight parking on most streets in neighborhoods near the bars for all but residents.

Homeowners say last summer was the worst in memory in terms of rowdiness.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)