Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Rego Park Club Rumba Hit With 40 Violations After Inspection, Officials Say

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | December 22, 2015 4:29pm
 Rego Park club Rumba, which locals said has been wrecking the quality of their lives, racked up 40 violations after a weekend raid, authorities said.
Rego Park club Rumba, which locals said has been wrecking the quality of their lives, racked up 40 violations after a weekend raid, authorities said.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo.com/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska

QUEENS — Rumba, a club Rego Park locals said has been destroying the quality of their lives, racked up 40 violations after a weekend inspection, officials said.

Rumba Gastro Bar and Lounge, at 67-63 Woodhaven Blvd., was probed over the weekend by the NYPD, FDNY, Department of Health and State Liquor Authority, according to local Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz.

Violations include making unauthorized alterations, such as installing a stage for performers, failing to maintain books and records for inspection, allowing patrons to dance despite not having a cabaret license, using an unapproved trade name and failing to comply with various fire safety regulations, like blocked exits, Koslowitz said.

The club also claimed it's allowed to have 202 patrons, while in fact it was only authorized to have a maximum of 74 people, and had only one security guard on duty, while it should have had at least two to three, according to the councilwoman.

"I want the place shut down," she said.

The inspection was conducted in response to dozens of complaints received by Koslowitz and Queens Community Board 6 about excessive noise and rowdy crowds coming to the club, officials said.

“Every Saturday morning, at 4 o’clock in the morning we have tons of people that are walking through there, yelling and screaming,” one resident complained at a Community Board 6 meeting earlier this month. “The other day we woke up and someone threw toilet paper in the trees. We are cleaning up litter, our gardens are being damaged, it’s very loud.”

Koslowitz wrote in a letter to the SLA she had “never received as many complaints about a business as I have received about Rumba.”

The SLA renewed the venue’s liquor license in July, even though CB6 voted against it in June.

"You cannot imagine my surprise when I learned that the State Liquor Authority recently renewed their license, despite opposition from the local community board, violations on record and numerous arrests made at the location by the local NYPD," Koslowitz also wrote in the letter. "What exactly does an establishment have to do in order to not have their license renewed or to be shut down?" 

The club’s liquor license is currently valid until July 31, 2017.

William Crowley, a spokesman for the SLA, said in an email that the agency has pending charges against the club, including for excessive noise, employing unlicensed security guards and failing to comply with building codes and safety regulations, according to documents provided by the SLA.

The club, according to the SLA, went before the board on Dec. 6, and made an offer to pay $8,000 civil penalty, which was rejected by the board. The board is scheduled to discuss the case on Jan. 5, according to Crowley.

Jeyson Segovia, the owner of Rumba, said that he was "aware of the complaints."

"We take them very seriously, we try to talk to our neighbors and we apologize to them," he said

He added that the club, which opened three years ago, has recently become more popular and attracts more customers.

But he also said that the venue is allowed to play live music. 

"We try to control noise as much as possible," Segovia said, adding that the venue also has "enough security to keep our customers away from the residents."

In January, he said, he is planning to turn the venue into a sports bar and restaurant rather than a night club, although live music events will be held there at least once a month, he said.