Nora Springs struggles to cope with juice bar

NORA SPRINGS, IOWA – A juice bar has roared to life in the sleepy little town of Nora Springs, and Thursday night, officials and residents there tried to find answers on how to oust the joint and its owner from their community.

The town council passed on a unanimous vote new zoning regulations aimed at adult businesses. The town’s zoning board approved those rules earlier this month. There was much passionate discussion on the business the rules seem to be aimed at – “The Pole Barn”. Citizens were allowed to ask questions during a public discussion with mayor George Andersen, the town council and the town’s attorney Todd Prichard (who is also a state legislator). There was substantial confusion as to how the town would proceed on ridding the business from the community. The consensus in the room was that no one there wants The Pole Barn to be able to operate.

At the same time, however, the town council was adamant that the owner of the juice bar, Dale Peterson of Minnesota, also has rights protected under the Constitution.

“They have rights to set up a business in accordance with the laws that are on the books,” said council member Brian Hanft, who has served for 5 years on the board.

Another councilman agreed, saying “you can’t just carte blanche tell a person he can’t have a business here.  You have to go through the motions and get everything right.  This ordinance is in no way designed to single out any single business, alright?  You’ve got to understand that.  Everyone has Constitutional rights.  You can’t just trample them.”

The council and their attorney Mr. Prichard could not promise anxious citizens when – or if – The Pole Barn would be put out of business.  Citizens offered a plethora of possible means that the city could take to shut down Dale Peterson – who several citizens named as a sex offender.  Some want building inspectors to go into his building – which he is leasing with an option to buy from a man named Kevin Wedeking of Charles City, who is a wrestling coach and industrial technology teacher there.  Others want a noise ordinance or nuisance ordinance applied.  The town’s code seems fairly weak on both, and has been ill-equipped to deal with the adult business issue until now.

As the meeting opened up at 7 PM, The Pole Barn was humming with life – right across the street. A soft yellow glow from a single light bulb illuminated the plastic red sign adorned with shapely women on it, tied to the front of 14 North Hawkeye Avenue above the front door. A pack of men in black hoodies and blue jeans emerged from around a corner, walking quickly past the fire station straight to the front door of The Pole Barn and went inside.

After the meeting, Dale Peterson could only shrug.

“Well, I guess they aim to shut me down,” Mr. Peterson told NIT in a brief 5-minute interview conducted inside his front door, about 10 feet from the bar.  A dance pole has been installed there, and about 10 men sat around the bar/dance runway.  They stared longingly as a nude woman – clad only in fishnet stockings – strode toward them.  She danced  provocatively to rock n roll music and left absolutely nothing to the imagination as she grabbed the pole and spun around with her ankles as far apart as possible.  Several other women – apparently “entertainers” – were also present in various stages of undress.  They laughed and used their index fingers to tickle the chins of some of the gentlemen in the establishment.

“I ain’t breaking no law,” Mr. Peterson explained.  “People are having fun, coming to town to come here.  I just want to stay open and have a good business.”

He is making improvements to the building and hopes to open a “VIP” area.  He also hired a new bouncer, Aron Bierl, a former Cerro Gordo county jailer.  Bierl was present Thursday night.