Game room reopens doors

City and University officials and the owners of University Pinball -- which was closed by the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections April 18 -- reached a temporary agreement Friday, allowing the game room to reopen for business that night. Although negotiations were delayed when owners Billy and Bob Schoepe failed to appear at a meeting scheduled for last Tuesday, the representatives were able to continue discussions about the fate of the establishment at Friday's meeting. In response to concerns by University officials and community members, L & I had issued a cease operations order April 18, closing the game room and calling it a public nuisance. But city officials removed the cease operations order Friday, reinstating the business's license and agreeing to refrain from taking additional action without allowing the Schoepes time to respond, according to City Solicitor Stephanie Franklin-Suber. In addition, the Schoepes agreed to restrict operating hours during the Friday and Saturday nights of Penn Relays and to have "a responsible adult on hand" to enforce curfew laws, Franklin-Suber said. The city's decision frustrated University administrators, who have said the game room brings criminal activity to the area. "I'm disappointed that we are where we are right now," Executive Vice President John Fry said. "However, we continue to believe that the game room issue is one that must be addressed by both the owners and the community. "We're hoping we can continue to press our case successfully to get them either to close entirely or to basically clean their act up," Fry added. Associate General Counsel Roman Petyk noted that the city's action did not surprise University officials, saying that "what happened was what we expected to happen." "We expected the city would allow them to reopen for the short term," he said, adding, "We hope that the city can come up with a framework so that the business can continue operating in a way that is consistent with the safety of the area." Petyk said the discussions among all parties are ongoing. A hearing to resolve the fate of the business is scheduled for May 12, although Franklin-Suber said matters may be resolved prior to that hearing. "Based on [Friday's] meeting, there is hope that we'd be able to resolve this amicably before the court date," she said. "Parties are exploring alternatives to resolving this in court." "Whatever permanent resolution takes place, it will have to address the very legitimate safety concerns raised by the University and the neighbors," said Deputy Mayor Kevin Feeley, Mayor Ed Rendell's spokesperson. But customers who frequent the game room said they disagree with the contention that crime and other bad things originate from the establishment. Ijlal Bassett, a West Philadelphia resident who comes to the arcade often, called it "the best arcade of all." "Not a lot of trouble starts here," he said. "People just come here to play games." And another customer -- who called himself a regular to the establishment -- said he would not continue to return if drug and other violations posed a problem. "I wouldn't be happy if there were problems," he said. "I see none." The Schoepes were unavailable for comment yesterday.