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Merrick Road bar was closed for fire violations
McFadden's Bar, at 210 Merrick Road, reopened on Sept. 9, having been closed a week earlier by the Nassau County fire marshal, with the help of Rockville Centre's fire inspector and the village Building Department, for multiple fire code violations.
The Sept. 2 inspection that resulted in the bar's closure was a follow-up to an investigation the night of May 7, when the manager of McFadden's received seven summonses. The violations included cooking without a permit, and the fire marshal determined that the bar's fire-suppression system was not working properly and its fire alarm system was not working at all.
On Sept. 9, the building and fire departments conducted another inspection and confirmed that McFadden's had removed its stove. They also found that the bar had hired personnel to maintain a 24-hour fire watch, conforming to stringent requirements imposed by the fire marshal until its fire code violations are corrected.
Since it opened last October, McFadden's has been the subject of numerous complaints from neighboring business owners who linked a rise in vandalism, garbage on the streets and public urination to the new bar and its patrons. The incidents culminated in gunshots on South Village Avenue at 1 a.m. on April 15, when a fight that police said started inside McFadden's moved outside. No one was injured, but police, who found shell casings nearby, conducted an investigation.
While nearby store owners were convinced that McFadden's patrons were responsible for the vandalism, Police Commissioner Charles Gennario was not as certain. He said that police have no proof that the vandals came from McFadden's. "We have a lot of establishments in the village, and they all get attention," Gennario said. "Some are bigger problems than others."
Tommy Casabona, the general manager of McFadden's — which is part of a chain of taverns in Manhattan, at CitiField and in Chicago and other locations — said that very few of the business owners who complained about his bar actually brought their concerns directly to him. He added that when a problem has been brought to his attention, he has done his best to solve it.
Alex Costello contributed to this story.
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