New Bedford: End Zone Must Make Changes to Continue Live Music

Disappointing news for the ownership of the End Zone Sports Pub on Coggeshall Street in New Bedford. They received a letter from the New Bedford Building Department last month that outlined some structural changes that would need to take place in order to continue with live entertainment at the popular restaurant.

Matthew Silva from the city's building department told Fun 107 that when the renovations were made at the End Zone, they opened up the floor plan to increase the seating, which changed the occupant load in the process.  "They also added an entertainment aspect which goes into the code.  They increased their use.  The main entrance and exits would have to be adjusted with their change in the use."

End Zone owner Troy Demelo told us that the building department is looking for a code review and two sets of double doors to be installed at a cost of roughly 50 to 60 thousand dollars.  "In order for us to comply it would just be too much money at this point in our career.  We're successful as a restaurant, but because we've had our music license for roughly 30 years we figured we'd try live music.  Now that we've found out that it's not in code we will be stopping it."  This Saturday night will be the final live show for the time being at the End Zone.

"The building code is not here to tell anyone 'no,'" said Matthew Silva.  "It's there to tell someone 'how.'  They can have that aspect of live music there as long as they correct it and have the correct permitted use.  I just can't have live music in there and have the building potentially over-occupied and all of a sudden we have another Station Nightclub fire."