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Neighbor, tavern owners clash over missing sign

By CASEY CORA
Published December 20, 2006

Sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning, the sign that called for quiet in the Old Northeast neighborhood disappeared.

The culprits have yet to be identified, but that hasn't stopped the accusations.

Debra Disch, who erected the sign aimed at patrons leaving the Old Northeast Tavern, 201 Seventh Ave. N., blamed tavern owners Dan Soronen and Sarah Potter for its disappearance.

"Well, come on," she said. "It's pretty obvious."

Soronen and Potter, however, blamed Disch.

"She seems to have a lot of time to sit around and dream these things," Potter said. "We wouldn't make things easier for her by taking it down."

The feud between the owners and Disch has boiled since the pair opened the tavern in May.

Disch, who owns a block of nearby apartment buildings, has complained to police numerous times, saying the music and conversation escaping the tavern's open doors and windows disturbs the otherwise tranquil neighborhood.

Soronen and Potter maintain that noise isn't a problem.

They said the tavern, which serves premium beers and wines along with gourmet pizzas and sandwiches, is an asset to the popular residential neighborhood.

Despite the mudslinging, one fact remains: If the sign wasn't removed by tomorrow, Disch faced a $138 fine from the city's codes department.

According to the city's standard for free speech signs, yard signs must not exceed 6 square feet and no higher than 8 feet.

Disch's sign was 4 feet tall and 10 feet wide.

She denied removing the sign herself.

Neither the Old Northeast Tavern nor its owners have been cited for noise violations.

Police have no leads on the missing sign because they never received a complaint about a stolen sign.

Casey Cora can be reached at 727 892-2374 or at ccora@sptimes.com

[Last modified December 20, 2006, 02:02:26]