Staff Writer

As business picks up at Bentley’s Saloon in Arundel along with motorcycle season, owner Bentley  Warren hopes to expand capacity and parking to accommodate more customers. 

Albert Frick, expansion project manager, said the saloon currently is approved to hold 180 customers, fewer than the 213-patron limit recently recommended by the fire marshal. Warren hopes to increase capacity to 213 in the 4,000-quare-foot interior and 700 in the 11,000-square-foot fenced area outdoors. 

Warren, Frick and planning consultant Rick Licht last week made their case for increased capacity to the Arundel Planning Board and addressed sewer capacity, parking and noise concerns.

All these factors were tested during an event Memorial Day Weekend with a special license for a mass gathering for up to 1,400 people. 

On peak business days, Frick said water records show a sewage flow of 1,850 gallons a day, with the system running up to 1,950 gallons per day capacity. 

“He has a septic [system] here that meets and is beyond adequate to meet flows,” Frick said. The project team also has designed a system on paper that would allow for an additional 1,200 gallons a day, Frick said. 

Licht presented tentative plans for the existing parking area around the saloon, with summer and winter versions of parking. He said they could stripe the area to designate 498 motorcycle spots and 19 car spots to accommodate more motorcycles during  summer.  During winter, he said they could change the layout to accommodate 117 cars with a remaining 98 motorcycle spaces still open.

“There are various methods of parking management,” Licht said.

“How is indoor and outdoor occupancy controlled? I want to make sure that building stays safe and doesn’t go over capacity,” Planning Board Chairman John DerKinderen said. 

“People are elbow to elbow when it is at capacity. Maybe using clickers and monitoring people or when it gets uncomfortable, it has obviously exceeded the limit,” Licht said. 

As a condition to the mass-gathering license, the town contracted with Northeast Test Consultants to conduct a sound study funded by Bentley’s Saloon. The study determined the saloon was not a significant contributor to noise pollution in the area. 

The study found noise levels at the property line are affected by a combination of motorcycle traffic in and out of the property during business hours and the addition of reflective sound from traffic on Route 1. 

During Memorial Day weekend, 14 motorcycles stopped at Selectman Byron Kindley store, Kindley said. 

“When they left, they made a hell of a noise, but as a business I am not responsible for the noise they make,” Kindley said. 

“The only person responsible is the person on the bike,” resident Diane Robbins said. “You can’t hold establishments responsible for something the state, town and county won’t regulate.”

Selectman Dana Peck said the “noise issue” is a townwide concern and should be addressed by talking with the state police about enforcement of existing laws. 

Warren said he tries to enforce respectfulness with his patrons, using signs in the parking lot to remind them to leave and ride quietly. He said he has also banned people for being disrespectful.

“I don’t want neighbors complaining,” Warren said. 

Town Planner Aaron Shields, along with the code enforcement officer, has been working with Warren to pursue the process of increasing capacity. 

“They are gathering details and information, showing you they are serious. Their business needs it,” Shields said. 

Shields said Frick, Licht and Warren will incorporate feedback from the board and work on a preliminary proposal to bring before the planning board at a date to be determined.

Staff writer Emma Bouthillette can be reached at 282-4337 ext. 237.