By SUSAN COLTRIN
While most BYU students were away for the summer earning money, LeMar’s Nightclub found a new way to do it: exotic dancing.
Beginning in July, LeMar’s began employing women to dance wearing nothing but pasties and T-backs, much to the dismay of many Provo residents.
Mayor Stewart and determined protestors set out almost immediately to find a way to stop LeMar’s from employing exotic dancers and to bar similar clubs from opening up shop.
Stewart said that a club like LeMar’s isn’t appropriate for Provo and doesn’t have a place here.
“We’ve never had an issue that has generated so many phone calls and issues,” Stewart said.
However, Les Skates, LeMar’s manager said that there is a demand for this kind of club in Provo.
“Customers were asking for the dancers and were tired of driving to Salt Lake to see them,” Skates said.
In mid-August, after a large demonstration that included both supporters and protestors of LeMar’s, as well as the presentation of a 4,545-signature petition to Provo City Council, the council passed two ordinances. One prevented sexually oriented businesses from serving alcohol. The other required future such businesses to operate only in industrial areas.
Greg Hudnall, a Provo City Council member, explained the purpose of the ordinances.
“What it does is sets the tone for the community by letting people know they’ll have to go to certain areas,” for sexually oriented businesses, he said, as reported by the Daily Herald August 21.
Hudnall said the ordinances send a message.
LeMar’s had 135 days to comply with the ordinances from the date they were issued, said Pete Scott, assistant manager of LeMar’s. The ordinances went into effect August 24.
LeMar’s will more than likely challenge the ordinances in court, Scott said.
“The ordinance is pretty iffy,” he said. “It looks pretty unconstitutional, and it probably won’t hold up.”
The publicity LeMar’s has recieved from the issue has “definitely” increased its clientele, Scott said.
In order to comply with the ordinance, LeMar’s must either stop serving alcohol or stop employing exotic dancers.
If LeMar’s chooses to keep the dancers, they must move to an industrial area. Also, the dancers’ breasts must be covered from the top of the areola to the bottom of the breast.
As reported by the Daily Herald August 21, Andrew McCullough, LeMar’s attorney, said that if the city thinks LeMar’s will move as a result of the zoning change, “It’s not going to happen, mayor.”
But Stewart said that if LeMar’s fails to comply with the new ordinances, he will shut it down.
If this happens, McCullough said the club will sue the city.
At one point, the city considered putting surveillance cameras outside of LeMar’s. But Stewart said there would probably be too many legal issues involved.
