MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – On Monday, the City of Myrtle Beach announced an emergency ordinance for Tuesday’s city council meeting.
“We’re presenting this as an emergency ordinance for city council so we can quickly deal with the late night incidents that are occurring in the Superblock,” said City of Myrtle Beach spokesperson, Mark Kruea.
If passed, the ordinance would force drinking establishments in the Superblock to close at 2 a.m.
“We have had issues with those early morning hours for a number of years now,” said Kruea. “We’ve had issues with other incidents at establishments in the Superblock. The time is now to do something about it.”
Police still search for a suspect believed to be involved in the Saturday morning shooting at Pure Ultra Club.
Owner of St. George’s Bar on 8th Avenue North, George Kley, said the bars should not be punished.
“We already have laws that govern the bars,” said Kley. “There’s no reason to make up anymore. Use the laws that exist.”
Kley’s bar is across the street from Pure Ultra Club. He said on Saturday night, he made sure his customers were inside and said he never felt unsafe.
However, Kruea said this is a safety issue the city wants to address.
“We’ve had issues in this area from these drinking establishments that they have been apparently unable to control on their own,” added Kruea. “If we can help that control occur by closing those establishments at 2 a.m. let’s do that.”
“The city I don’t think is looking at it quite right. This is not a dire emergency,” said Kley, who will be at Tuesday’s workshop. “I’ll voice my opinion. I know that the city will be polite and listen to me I don’t know if I can sway their minds enough.“
The Myrtle Beach City Council will meet for a workshop at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and the meeting and vote will be held at 2 p.m.