2 a.m. bar curfew on
tap if James Island loses case
Originally Published on: 03/06/2003
Until then, it ought not do town things, Michael Socha, the town attorney, said Wednesday.
To the average citizen, this may not warrant a news flash, that is, until they want to order a drink at a bar after 2 a.m.
Since Charleston started shutting down city bars at 2 a.m., at least one bar on James Island, The Reef, has welcomed city college students and late-night food and beverage employees. Now that Charleston County has passed a 2 a.m. bar curfew, whether The Reef can remain open past 2 depends on whether the town is a town.
If it is, the town rules apply, and town officials have promised to allow The Reef to stay open after 2 a.m. If it isn't, the county bar curfew applies to The Reef and other bars on James Island.
Not that any of this seemed to matter to an employee who picked up the phone Wednesday night at The Reef.
The bar would be open past 2 a.m., she said cheerily. As for the days ahead, she referred questions to a manager, who has not returned calls since Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, not only The Reef but all bars in unincorporated Charleston County will be notified of the new county curfew before the sheriff's department issues tickets to those who violate it, said sheriff's spokeswoman Dana Valentine.
Letters with copies of the 2 a.m. closing ordinance will be sent out in the next few days, and the department won't ticket until a few days after that, Valentine said. She wouldn't commit to next week but did say the ordinance would be enforced sometime this month.
The department is encouraging bars to comply with the new law voluntarily and believes they will, Valentine said.
"We don't anticipate problems," she said.
Meanwhile, the town has asked a judge to reconsider his ruling that shut the town down, or at least to let the town operate while it continues its nearly decade-long legal battle with the city of Charleston. The judge could rule Friday.
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