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July 25, 2002
PureGoldcompliesTeens joincrowd asclub clothesdancersBy CHANCE PRIGGE Journal Staff Writer Nicollet's Pure Gold strip club passed its compliance check early Wednesday morning to stay in business. City Administrator Dan Wietecha arrived at the club at about 12:25 a.m. to ensure it met the requirements of Nicollet's Adult Use Zoning Ordinance. "The conduct that I observed this morning appeared to be in compliance," Wietecha said. The ordinance took effect Wednesday after the club's amortization period ended at midnight. "We were fully in compliance," General Manager Jeremy Miller said. Among other things, the club cannot display nude dancers or allow them to simulate sexual activities if it's within 500 feet of residential property. The club complied, scantily covering its dancers at about 10 minutes to midnight, and allowed people of all ages in. Wietecha said a rough head count had about 40 teens at the club when he was there. Miller said teens who were mostly 16 and 17 years old were waiting at the door at midnight. He said about 50 teens showed up in the course of the night, in addition to about 70 other customers. "It was a good night," Miller said. In addition to being covered, the dancers cut the contact. "We didn't let any of the dancers touch the customers," Miller said. The club also unplugged its cigarette machine and its Mega Touch video game, which had images containing nudity, to comply with the ordinance. "There was no commotion," Miller said. "It was just a regular day." If the club had not complied with the ordinance, Wietecha would have sought an injunction at the Nicollet County Courthouse in St. Peter to shut the business down. Pure Gold's co-owner Dave Benzinger plans to seek a federal injunction in Minneapolis to put a halt to the ordinance. Before the ordinance's enforcement, the club had been offering full-nudity dancing since its inception as The Mirage in September 2001. Benzinger said he expects the club to be back to its full-nudity, normal business by tonight.
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