Schenectady restaurant pledges to address neighbors’ concerns

SCHENECTADY – One week after NewsChannel 13 told you about people in a Schenectady neighborhood putting together a petition trying to get Tropics Bar to close earlier, the owner says they are making some changes to improve safety.

Neighbors say they are still concerned about loud music that comes from the parking lots of Tropics and the nearby Speedway. Mavis Diaram, the owner of Tropics, says they are taking steps to make the area safer.

When Diaram spoke to police, they suggested that she close off their Dwayne Avenue entrance to alleviate congestion coming in and out of the parking lot. Diaram says they did that Friday night.

They are also looking at putting up fencing around their property.

Diaram also met with neighbors Sunday at their restaurant. Neighbors have raised concerns related to loud music and traffic.

Diaram says they want to be a part of the community and help out in any way they can. She says the issues that they are dealing with are community-wide problems and not just something that is taking place at their business.

"This is a major safety concern and issue for everybody living here, and working here and have businesses here. So we need some backup. We need to have, maybe, business meetings. How do we help each other? How do we help our neighbor? How do we get these things done," said Diaram.

Hear a neighbor’s perspective of everything by watching the video of Jonathan Hunter’s story.