As the memory of a stabbing outside the now-closed Railroad Tavern recedes and the building re-opens under new management, area bar owners, managers and customers intend to keep to their normal security procedures.
Railroad Tavern closed down shortly after the stabbing, but according to Lieutenant Todd Lawrence of the Keene Police Department, the bar did not close down because of the stabbing. “I can confirm the incident happened in the bar around closing time,” Lawrence said. He continued to say that the incident was between two people who had known each other and had a previous history.
The owner of the now-closed Railroad Tavern was not able to be contacted.
Sergeant Christopher Simonds of KPD said that there has not been an increase in security since the stabbing at Railroad Tavern over the summer. “We don’t patrol any differently,” Simonds said.
Brian Cantore/Photo Editor:
Scores Sports Bar and Grill will be on Railroad Street in Keene, where Railroad Tavern operated until July.
Heightened security, “is something the bar owners would have to request,” Simonds said. To the best of his knowledge, Simonds said there have been no complaints about bars in Keene made to KPD since the stabbing at Railroad Tavern.
Simonds continued and said that open containers are one of the bigger issues that KPD has to deal with around bars. Especially if they have an outdoor patio, people need to be extra careful.
According to Simonds, a bar owner would need to obtain a permit from city hall to have an outdoor seating area.
Ben Fournier is one of the co-owners of Scores Sports Bar and Grille.
The sports bar is in the building where Railroad Tavern once was.
Fournier is a KSC graduate and played baseball for the school when he was a student.
Fournier said he wants to change the dynamic of the bar by “trying to make a nice sports bar with a nice atmosphere.” He continued, “Whatever happened in the past is in the past.” He said he wants to “keep moving forward.”
According to Fournier, he is planning on having a good staff.
“The training is going to be very thorough,” he said. Safety protocols and procedures are not definite right now, according to Fournier. The owners are still putting together an employee handbook, but policies are going to be strict.
Other establishments in the downtown area echo Fournier. “We’re [bar owners] all concerned about violence,” Tom Nephew, owner of McCue’s Billiards and Sports Lounge, said. “We [McCue’s] won’t tolerate any aggression.”
Nephew said there are usually three people working security, three bartenders and two servers on the floor in the evening hours as well as the chefs.
There is also a person working security at the door to turn people away before entering the business if he or she showed any signs of intoxication.
Any display of intoxication from a person results in immediate removal from the bar, according to Nephew.
Nephew said there is an extra person working on Thursday nights, which was enforced last year because of the number of people who showed up, Nephew said.
“I encourage my customers to come and talk to me if there is a problem,” Nephew said.
Bar manager at The Pour House, Jacqlyn Atwater-Yeager, commented on the summer stabbing and said, “I don’t think it affected us in any way as much as the people around.” According to Atwater-Yeager, there is always someone on the floor making sure things are running smoothly.
As for a business change, business has been steady since the stabbing at Railroad Tavern, according to Atwater-Yeager.
Both residents of Keene and KSC students seem to agree that Railroad Tavern was not the best place to be around.
“Railroad was known to be a more aggressive bar,” Joe Black, a former resident of Keene, said.
KSC junior Michael O’Leary prefers to go to Penuche’s Ale House.
“The reason why I feel safe here is I know the people, I know the area,” O’Leary said.
He continued, “it’s [the neighborhood around Penuche’s] a hometown area. Definitely keeps an eye of what’s going on in this area.” O’Leary also mentioned that he thought Railroad did not have a good reputation.
“Bar owners are aware of the situation but are trying to isolate it,” O’Leary said.
Rebecca Marsh can be contacted at rmarsh@keene-equinox.com