1-24-2019
FERNDALE, Wash. — The music may have to go silent at a favorite downtown Ferndale venue.
The Main Street Bar and Grill has featured live musical acts since John Wirts took it over in 2014.
But a recent fire inspection determined that hosting music events defines it as a nightclub rather than just a restaurant.
“I could have 100 people in here watching the Seahawks game and that’s okay, but if I have 100 people in here watching a musician play his guitar on stage, we’re considered a nightclub,” says Wirts.
By state law, that definition requires Wirts to install a sprinkler system that could cost as much as $100,000.
Ferndale Communications Officer Riley Sweeney says the city’s hands are tied.
“Once we’ve done an inspection and made a determination we have to carry out the state law as it’s written,” he says.
Wirts has appealed the decision, though he’s in the process of selling the business now.