Police report no problems at Cinco de Mayo party
BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO Bandito's Cinco de Mayo celebration was touted by one of its owners as successful but expensive.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - The proprietors of a local Tex-Mex bar reported they broke even once additional expenses were taken into account after the township placed numerous noise control requirements on its Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Bandito's, Route 1, had been forced to comply with several conditions for permission to hold its annual outdoor fiesta. The conditions were a response to frequent noise complaints by residents about the party in previous years.

While the bar, under new management since last year, supported many of the requests, one of the co-owners, Jim Allen, took issue with one that restricted outdoor attendance to 50 people at a time. Allen told the South Brunswick Township Council that with the additional expense he was taking on to control noise, such as the hiring of a noise specialist and police and private security, having only 50 people maximum would make it difficult for him to recoup costs. He was advised he could appeal to the state, but on such short notice, such a thing was not feasible.

"It was pretty successful, but the costs were just tremendous as far as what we were planning for," said Allen.

Allen said that the police officers there reported everything had gone smoothly. He also said that Deputy Mayor Carol Barrett stopped by around 6:30 p.m. and said several residents had complained about the noise. According to Allen, the noise expert there defused the situation by stating that the traffic from Route 1 was actually louder than the music from the band.

Detective James Ryan, a spokesman for the police department, said the party was "completely uneventful" from a law enforcement standpoint.

While he regretted the conditions placed upon the party, he was glad that he was able to hold it and felt that, despite everything, it went well.

"We did the best with what we had and met all the township's requirements, and I think we went above and beyond the call. But for the most part it was good for the town and everyone had a good time and brought a lot of people, and maybe we can see what happens next year. Maybe they'll see it can be a controlled environment. It is just once a year," said Allen.