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First Posted: 9/24/2013 WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The Woodlands Inn and Resort should not be held responsible for fights among patrons who bring their &#8220;bad blood&#8221; to the resort&#8217;s night club Club Evolution, the resort&#8217;s attorney said in court papers filed recently.
In fact, the resort has &#8220;gone to extreme efforts to provide property security&#8221; by employing 18 well-trained security professionals, attorney Richard Bishop wrote.
The resort on state Route 315 in Plains Township is challenging a decision by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board not to renew the resort&#8217;s liquor license.
County Judge Richard Hughes heard three days of testimony on the appeal in late July and early August.
In response to the LCB&#8217;s claims the resort failed to comply to a 2011 conditioning licensing agreement, Bishop said the resort has not been cited since the agreement was put in place in October 2011.
The LCB required the resort to:
&#8226; Employ a minimum of 14 security officers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights;
&#8226; Maintain 44 surveillance cameras, provide exterior and interior lighting for surveillance cameras to record clear images, undergo gang awareness training;
&#8226; Separate the underage from those who are legally permitted to drink alcohol.
&#8220;Over the past several years the number of incidents at (resort) has decreased substantially and the Plains Township Police Department has not had any problems with (the resort) and respects the good work done by (the resort&#8217;s) trained security professional,&#8221; Bishop stated in court papers.
During the hearing before Hughes, township police Lt. Richard Lussi testified the resort has been very proactive in trying to control any type of problems occurring at the property, Bishop wrote.
Bishop stated the resort is one of the largest entertainment facilities in Northeastern Pennsylvania that attracts in excess of 1,000 customers on any given night.
&#8220;With this large number of customers it is not unreasonable to expect from time to time a customer may get out of hand, but such situations are now comparatively rare and promptly resolved with a minimum amount of problems to law enforcement or to anyone else,&#8221; Bishop stated.
Bishop said there is no way to completely eliminate the possibility of fights between customers who likely were drinking somewhere else before arriving at the resort.
Bishop further stated the resort has never been identified as a &#8220;nuisance bar&#8221; and goes to great length at keeping a reputable reputation.
Hughes is expected to issue a decision at a later date.

Attorney: Woodlands has gone to extremes for ensure security