Overflowing Dumpster Problem for Closed Kent Bar

The problems keep mounting for the owners of the Main Street Tavern, .

The latest issue came to light earlier this month, when the got a complaint from neighbors about an overflowing dumpster on the property.

Neighbors complained Aug. 18 to the city, which confirmed the problem the same day. The next day, a notice was mailed to owners Ellen Hart and Lisa Thompson advising them to empty the overflowing dumpster behind the bar and restaurant.

John Bradshaw, Kent's interim health commissioner, said after no response they posted a notice on the restuarant's door Thursday advising the owners they had two days to address the problem.

"We were looking to today to be the day it must be picked up, or we were going to pick it up and bill the owner," he said.

But it turns out the dumpster is actually a large recycling bin owned and maintained by the Portage County Solid Waste Management District. And because people had dumped waste into the container that mixed with recyclable material, the solid waste district refused to pick it up, Bradshaw said.

Earlier today the owners contacted Bradshaw and said they were willing to have a trash company empty the dumpster, but they first wanted to get approval from the county because it owns the container.

Bradshaw said now he's waiting to hear back from the county with a recommendation for a trash company to empty the container and to give permission to do so.

"I'm encouraged to know the county will be calling me back with that recommendation," he said. "I'm encouraged that the ownership associated with Main Street Tavern is willing to comply. For us, to have somebody call to say ‘How can I comply,’ that’s great. Granted, it’s taken too long, for the neighbors, to happen."

No activity has been seen at the site since early July when the state tax commissioner's office revoked the tavern's vendor's license, prohibiting them from making retail sales and stopping them from doing any business.

By law, the agency is prohibited from explaining publicly why the vendor's license was revoked.

The eatery owes more than $14,000 in real property taxes, according to the Portage County Auditor's Office online records.