Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
Chronicle reporter Ben Westcott writes: Robert Neuweiler won’t be open by St. Patrick’s Day as he had hoped.
The Glens Falls Planning Board tabled his application to open The Messenger House restaurant/bar on Maple Street at the former Dango’s.
The board asked for more information about plans for ingress and egress, the parking lot, water drainage, the location of a future dumpster and camera inspection of a sewer line.
The Planning Board will consider the proposal again on April 2.
A resident who lives next to the site, Kevin Stephenson, voiced concerns about Mr. Neuweiler’s personal history, saying, “I’m going to speak on what I found about Bob’s past; that should paint a picture of what I hope isn’t to come.”
City Attorney Karen Judd interrupted.
“I’m going to stop you,” she told Mr. Stephenson. “Site plan review is regarding the proposed site. We do not get into characteristics or personality of an applicant.”
The Chronicle viewed Mr. Stephenson’s full statement after the meeting. It cites several news articles detailing past run-ins Mr. Neuweiler has had with the law.
He had a 2004 felony cocaine sale conviction, and was the subject of a 2012 drug investigation that led to five people being arrested and netted the Warren County Sheriff’s Office more than two pounds of cocaine, the Post-Star reported.
“Police sources said Neuweiler was recorded on a wiretapped phone call contacting one of the alleged dealers seeking to buy cocaine,” the article said.
Mr. Neuweiler confirmed to The Chronicle the 2004 felony cocaine sale conviction did occur, and he said he went to jail.
Now, he says, “I don’t do cocaine, I don’t do nothing. I don’t play with that stuff. That was something that I just let go over the years. That was over 20 years ago. I buried that stuff years ago, and I want to keep it buried.”
In 2013, Mr. Neuweiler pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny for fraudulently receiving more than $5,000 from the Home Energy Assistance Program, public assistance he did not qualify for, the Post-Star reported.
In 2018, Mr. Neuweiler was charged by State Police with forcible touching for alleged unwanted contact with a female employee of his Spirits Tavern in Warrensburg.
Mr. Neuweiler told The Chronicle that incident never happened and that the case was dismissed.
On his run-ins with the law in general, Mr. Neuweiler said, “All that stuff is dead and buried. What happened in the past, happened in the past.”
“It’s the future” he said he’s focused on.
He said he’s already acquired a liquor license for the planned Messenger House.
“If any of those things were that bad, I wouldn’t have a liquor license,” he said.
He said “90% of people want me to open this place.”
“I’ve been in this business 56 years, and I treat people with respect,” he said. “That’s the way I like to do it.”
Mr. Stephenson wrote in his statement, “I don’t feel that Bob’s past has shown the utmost moral character required to operate a restaurant/bar in an area with vulnerable people. If Bob is able to open this location…I will be looking to him to not repeat past mistakes.”
When pressed at the meeting, Mr. Neuweiler said the new restaurant would be open 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Mr. Stephenson expressed concerns about having a bar open late at night in an area with a “vulnerable population.” He said Dangos would generally close at 10 p.m., which was “completely fine.”
“Ward 1 does have a lot of vulnerable people, people that live in poverty,” Mr. Stephenson said. “I think that with that in consideration, an establishment that wants to open late — that may risk those vulnerable people that exist with addictions that they’re recovering from and mental health struggles that they have.”
Board Member Tom Landry did not seem as concerned. He said, “You’ve got an establishment right across the street from there that’s going to be open about the same hours.”
Mr. Landry added, “I know there’s been a lot done in that area, in that part of town, as far as improving it. This would improve the appearance of the building and hire people.”
Mr. Neuweiler, who has operated Spirits Tavern in Warrensburg since 1998 and had operated Messy House on South Street, says The Messenger House will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and hire 15 to 20 people. The menu would include chicken cutlet parmesan, lasagna, pizzas, burgers and shrimp cocktails.
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