Nightclub owners hope to reach compromise

The fraternal organization that operates a St. Paul bar where a man was shot to death last month says it is prepared to make changes in the wake of the event.

City officials will meet today with the owners of Club Milton, a bar that raises revenue for Pioneer Lodge Number One of the Prince Hall Freemasons. The bar has been closed since the June 23 shooting outside the club left three men injured and one dead.

Some neighbors in the Summit-University community complained that the club had become an after-hours gathering place with crowds lingering well past 2 a.m.

Lodge Master Layne Bellamy says Masons will offer to revert to a members-only admittance policy that had been in place years ago.

"Out of this tragic event we're just trying to work with the community and do what we can do to abide by whatever the city comes up with to make it safer for the everyone and the club," Bellamy said.

Bellamy said the lodge is also prepared to close the bar at one a.m. and keep a written log of visitors.

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