The owner of a strip club has rented a generator and remains in business, even after the county and KPL shut off his power.
The jukebox at The Outhouse cranked up shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday, three days after KPL and Douglas County officials shut off the electricity.
"Come hell or high water, no power, we'll be open," said Jeff Wallace, owner of the juice bar that features nude dancers. "I didn't lose five minutes of business."
On finding The Outhouse dark, Wallace called in a diesel generator and opened his doors.
Wallace, who has grappled with the county before, got the county's attention this time when he tried to upgrade his electrical system.
To Keith Dabney, county director of zoning and codes, electrical improvements would force the business to comply with county zoning regulations.
That would mean closure because the building, surrounded by corn at 1837 N. 1500 Road, is in agriculture zoning. It fell under a grandfather clause when zoning was passed for the county.
"They are not supposed to make any structural changes," Dabney said. "He can repair the problems with what he has there."
But Wallace can't upgrade, Dabney said. That's because a power increase could mean a bigger stereo system or more lights, which Dabney says are significant changes.
Wallace said he had the public in mind when he made the electrical improvements.
"I tried to make it safer," he said. "I didn't need any more power " How that changes the structure, I have no idea."
After being denied permission to hook up to a new electrical box he had had installed, Wallace asked KPL to take care of some safety concerns he had about the old box, Dabney said.
The problems found by KPL and Dabney on Monday were Wallace's responsibility, said Mark Schreiber, KPL manager of community relations.
"We just didn't feel comfortable leaving it in that condition," Schreiber said.
The power will stay off until repairs, including loose connections and undersized wires, can be made, Dabney said.
"They have a grudge against me," Wallace said. "They wanted us closed."
Wallace said he has an attorney and will be suing the county to get his power hooked up and to recover the $400 a day he is spending on the generator.
Dabney said he is treating Wallace no differently from any other business owner.
Wallace has drawn county attention in the past and was one of the reasons county commissioners approved a set of restrictions for adult businesses this summer. Wallace's Outhouse fell under a grandfather clause with those as well.
More recently, Wallace has drawn attention as a defendant in a criminal case. He was charged with sexual exploitation of a child after being accused of allowing a 15-year-old girl to dance at The Outhouse last winter.
Wallace, free on $12,500 bond, is awaiting trial on the charge.
-- Kendrick Blackwood's phone message number is 832-7221. His e-mail address is kblackwood@ljworld.com.
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