Hundreds sign petition in support of Bangor businesses

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – More than 800 people signed an online petition in support of G-Force Entertainment at Bangor Mall.

The owner says he faces unfair hurdles to keep his business going. The city says they only need it to comply with local ordinances.

G-Force Entertainment opened in Bangor Mall about a year and a half ago with hopes of providing something for kids and adults in the area.

But CEO Brain Plavnick says doing business in Bangor hasn’t been easy.

“Right from the start we had a lot of hurdles to jump over. They basically gave us a curveball every step of the way when we completed something,” Plavnick said.

Plavnick says the latest “Curveball” came after a recent incident in the parking lot between G-Force and another restaurant when someone fired a gun.

There were no reports of injuries.

Plavnick says he believes this event prompted a state official to look into the deal.

“He did a little bit of research and found that we didn’t have our entertainment license for Bangor,” Plavnick said.

When asked for comment, Bangor City Manager Debbie Laurie provided TV5 with a statement, which read:

“If a business has a Maine state liquor license and is offering live entertainment, it must have a special entertainment license. A city official saw it [an] Advertisement regarding live entertainment offerings at G-Force. After determining that the company did not have a special entertainment permit as required by state law and local ordinances, the relevant city department followed up to explain the requirements. The owners have now filed an application for a special pleasure permit, which will be on the City Council agenda on Monday night. Again, the permit application, which will be reviewed on Monday, applies only to on-site live entertainment. It does not affect the existing licenses that allow the facility to work as it currently is. “

While Plavnick admits he should have applied for the permit sooner, he claims he wasn’t aware of the requirement. He has since applied, and a public hearing on the application is scheduled for Monday night.

In the meantime, Plavnick says he’s had to reduce hours and cancel events, resulting in a ton of money lost.

“The prosecutor told us that if anyone even danced in our room, we would be fined $500,” Plavnick said.

Plavnick says he considered quitting and closing, but the change.org petition made him realize how many people value his work. Now he promises to keep going.

“When I saw that and I saw the support from people who were here, I thought, okay, maybe we’ll try to see it through and make it work if they vote yes. But even if they vote yes, they’ve destroyed more than they know,” Plavnick said.

The public hearing on G-Force’s application for a special pleasure license will take place during Monday’s city council meeting.

It begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. There are also opportunities to participate virtually.

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