Club Energy to open in Antioch

After more than a year of trying to get the operation up and running, a new family-oriented center in Antioch called Club Energy is expected to open in two weeks.

The club will feature activities for all ages, such as dance exercises, senior nights, comedy shows, live bands, billiards tournaments, parties and dancing. Xbox 360, computers and pinball machines also will be available at the club, located in a vacant former health club at 1350 Main St.

Club Energy also will host events such as banquets, weddings, bridal showers and birthday parties.

Whether any of those events can include alcohol, however, remains to be seen. Village trustees this week tabled a decision on whether to grant the venue a liquor license, pushing the matter off until a committee-of-the-whole session in July.

Board members cited the club's lack of parking as one of the reasons they're wary about giving its owners a liquor license. The lot outside the club has 115 parking spots and owners plan to rent space from the dentist's office across the street for an additional 10 spots. That drew concerns from the board because patrons may have to run across Route 83 to get to their cars.

To fix the parking problem, Club Energy is working to acquire more parking spots or a valet service, which may ease worries about customers walking across Route 83 in busy traffic.

If Club Energy is not able to sell alcohol, it will operate as a 20 and under club, general manager Peter Georgiades said.

“It changes things up if we don't get our liquor license. It won't be a balanced club,” he said. “It will just be a club for 20 and under. It wouldn't be a club for parents and grandparents to come. I don't see this place (Club Energy) being for adults if there is no liquor. No comedy shows or live bands can be here because there won't be any alcohol. We would end up becoming a youth dance club and that's not what we want.”