ROCKLAND, Maine — City councilors took pre-emptive action Monday night to regulate any adult entertainment businesses that might want to locate in the community.
The council gave preliminary approval 4-0 to impose a series of regulations. This follows word that the former owner of such a store in Waldoboro, Herman “Rusty” Hoffman, expressed interest in opening a store in Rockland that would sell pipes, sex toys, pornography and swords.
The ordinance approved Monday night would prohibit such shops from being located within 300 feet of a school, day care center, park, athletic fields, playgrounds, schools, lodging businesses and houses of worship. Adult entertainment businesses would be limited to three commercial zones — upper Park Street, Route 90, and the two shopping centers on Camden and Maverick streets.
The shops would require a city license and be barred from employing anyone with a felony conviction or convictions for drug trafficking or prostitution. The shops also could not be open from midnight to 6 a.m.
There was no discussion by the council. A formal public hearing and final vote are scheduled for Dec. 8.
Hoffman was arrested in July for trafficking in bath salts, a product he had at his store in Waldoboro that since has closed.