WESTBROOK – In sharp contrast to the kerfuffle that surrounded the April license renewal hearings for the Skybox Bar and Grill, a review of the bar’s operations Monday was short and without any rancor.

The six-month review by the city’s municipal officers was part of the conditions outlined when the Brown Street bar’s liquor, food service, poolroom and pinball licenses were renewed on April 6.

Westbrook police Capt. Tom Roth started off the discussion by outlining the calls for service involving Skybox.

Roth said there were 15 substantive calls for service from March 1 to Sept. 29. Those calls included several where the staff at the bar called to ask for assistance with unruly patrons and two calls regarding loud music that were taken care of with full cooperation from the staff at the bar. In fact, he said, when police arrived to investigate one of the noise complaints on May 15, officers reported that the noise coming from the bar was not unreasonable, but after speaking to the bouncer at the door, officers said the bar turned down the music voluntarily.

Several of the calls outlined by Roth at the meeting did not directly involve Skybox, but instead involved groups of people outside the bar

Roth said that the staff at the bar has been willing to work with the police to solve any problems.

“I would say they have been more than cooperative,” he said, adding that the owners regularly follow up with police regarding any complaints.

Bar owner Allen Moore said that he has worked with the police to develop a noise policy and that he or his staff make sure the area outside the Skybox is clear of any straggling patrons before closing down and leaving for the night. Moore said he has been doing everything in his power to ensure a smooth operation for the past six months.

“As far as overall operations (go), I feel it’s gone pretty well,” he said.

The tone of the meeting comes in contrast to recent history regarding the Skybox.

In 2009, the municipal officers denied the bar’s liquor license. A similar 2008 decision was ultimately overturned by the state, but the previous owners, Tom and Ellen Dore, decided they no longer wanted to fight the city over the license and Moore and his wife Lynn took over the business.

Last year, the officers denied the Moores the licenses based on the fact that the bar was causing a nuisance in the neighborhood, due to police activity. The Moores sued the city, claiming that councilors who voted against the license were biased against the bar. In March, a judge ruled that Councilor Dotty Aube was biased because she stated during public meetings that she felt a bar didn’t belong in the neighborhood and that she would vote the way she believed her constituents would want her to vote. Aube was present at Monday’s meeting, but she did not speak.

Aube, as well as Council President Brendan Rielly and Councilor John O’Hara, who also voted against the licenses last year, recused themselves from the vote in April on the advice of their legal counsel.

Moore said that in the months that have passed since the license renewal, he has continued to work to make sure that the Skybox is a good neighbor on Brown Street. He said that there is a sign in the bar warning patrons that if they cause trouble and the police come to the bar, they will be banned from the Skybox.

“As the city leans on me, I lean on the patrons,” Moore said.