OFF THE WIRE
BY: Matthew Van Dongen
thespec.com
CLUBHOUSE Hells Angels Club House at the corner of Beach Rd. and Gage Ave.
The new Hells Angels clubhouse doesn't run afoul of Hamilton's so called “motorcycle gang headquarters bylaw.”
Bylaw enforcement officers toured the converted tavern at 105 Beach Rd. at the end of June to determine if the new biker hangout was “overly fortified,” said building inspections manager John Lane.
The city's new fortifications bylaw forbids homeowners from installing security infrastructure heavy enough to keep fire, police and paramedics at bay during an emergency.
“There are no violations,” Lane said. “We kept the (investigation) file open for a little while to observe, but the file is now closed.”
Bikers’ new east-end digs will get bylaw investigation
The long arm of bylaw enforcement is poking around the new Hells Angels clubhouse on Beach Road
The former Gage Tavern does boast a tall, barbed-wire fence and gate, and surveillance cameras.
But Lane said those security measures are permitted under zoning bylaws in that part of the city.
The findings match up with what Hells Angels members told The Spectator in June, a week or so after the controversial biker club moved into the building.
James (Bubbs) Sherwood called the cameras and bricked-in windows “pre-existing” building features. He also noted the clubhouse isn't the only nearby building with security fences and barred windows.
The fortifications bylaw was passed on the heels of a late-2009 police raid on the club's former home at 269 Lottridge St. That bunker-like fortress featured remote-controlled surveillance cameras, concrete pillars, barbed-wire fencing and bricked-up windows. Police got in by blowing a hole in the side of the building with explosives.
The Lottridge property was seized by police and has since been put up for sale, and the city had planned a June property standards investigation for the building. City spokesperson Debbie Spence said Thursday no investigation update was available.
mvandongen@thespec.com
905-526-3241
Bylaw enforcement officers toured the converted tavern at 105 Beach Rd. at the end of June to determine if the new biker hangout was “overly fortified,” said building inspections manager John Lane.
The city's new fortifications bylaw forbids homeowners from installing security infrastructure heavy enough to keep fire, police and paramedics at bay during an emergency.
“There are no violations,” Lane said. “We kept the (investigation) file open for a little while to observe, but the file is now closed.”
Bikers’ new east-end digs will get bylaw investigation
The long arm of bylaw enforcement is poking around the new Hells Angels clubhouse on Beach Road
The former Gage Tavern does boast a tall, barbed-wire fence and gate, and surveillance cameras.
But Lane said those security measures are permitted under zoning bylaws in that part of the city.
The findings match up with what Hells Angels members told The Spectator in June, a week or so after the controversial biker club moved into the building.
James (Bubbs) Sherwood called the cameras and bricked-in windows “pre-existing” building features. He also noted the clubhouse isn't the only nearby building with security fences and barred windows.
The fortifications bylaw was passed on the heels of a late-2009 police raid on the club's former home at 269 Lottridge St. That bunker-like fortress featured remote-controlled surveillance cameras, concrete pillars, barbed-wire fencing and bricked-up windows. Police got in by blowing a hole in the side of the building with explosives.
The Lottridge property was seized by police and has since been put up for sale, and the city had planned a June property standards investigation for the building. City spokesperson Debbie Spence said Thursday no investigation update was available.
mvandongen@thespec.com
905-526-3241