BATH, NY – A petition containing more that 1,000 signatures was presented on Monday to the Town Board in Bath, urging action be taken against an adult bookstore recently opened in town.Town Supervisor Ronald Deming has requested that Steuben County district attorney and law officials enforce state and federal obscenity laws, and take actions to shut down the bookstore.
About 150 people squeezed into the Civil Defense Building conference room to witness the church leaders present the board with their petition.
“Pornography is a moral evil,” said the Rev. Henry Igras, of Community Bible Church in Bath and spokesman for the recently organized local Commission on Community Values. “It has a highly destructive influence on people’s lives and the community as a whole. We would like the town board to consider some actions and hopefully to remove this store from the area.”
The petitions called for two distinct actions – to restrict business at the store located on Interstate 86, and to force it to close.
To achieve these ends, Steuben Country District Attorney and law officials were called upon to enforce the current state and federal obscenity laws. The petitioners also request that the board pass a local law governing the establishment of any adult oriented businesses within town limits.
First Baptist Church pastor Curtis Parker, of Avoca, called sexually oriented trade “parasitic in nature.”
Some residents confronted the board asking why nothing had been done when rumors surfaced of an adult bookstore opening in town. Bookstore owner Robert Long of Harrisburg had denied the intention of opening such a bookstore when questioned at the time.
“You said ‘they lied to us,'” said Ira Hale of Bath. “Well, anybody in that business is going to lie. Why didn’t you do something? The board should have stopped this a long time ago.”
Dening insisted the board’s hands were tied.
“We can’t go back now,” Deming said. “But there are things we can do now.”
Board members are looking into Long’s original letter of denial, and whether there is something they can use to declare a moratorium on the opening of any new similar stores. Other alternatives are being analyzed.
The board is hoping to enact legislation restricting the store’s business hours, mandating that “viewing booths” have no doors, requiring background checks on employees, and possible the rezoning of the land.
The board also decided to form a special committee to develop of comprehensive plan for land rezoning, to restrict the development of other adult-oriented businesses in their town.
Residents encouraged the board to move forward immediately.
