At a time when most communities would be happy to have a new business open its doors, one new business in New Richmond is raising eyebrows. That business is a swingers club, an operation where people pay a fee to join and then can swap partners for sex.
Local 12's Rich Jaffe joins us now with a look at why it's meeting some resistance from the business community.
The Cobra Club in New Richmond is advertising itself as "Sincinnati's" newest bisexual and gay-friendly social club, where for the price of admission, you can pick up a new sex partner. "Cincinnati" in this case, by the way, is being spelled s-i-n in the advertising.
Recently opened at the gateway to New Richmond, the club hopes to put the quiet little river town on the map for a whole lot of different reasons.
From inside the Front Street Cafe, the view of New Richmond's future looks pretty rosy. Development efforts over the last few years have brought nearly sixty new jobs to the village, and that's just the start.
Bob Lees, Front Street café Owner: "Our schools were rated excellent this year, the highest rating they can get, new homes up on the hill, nine permits for brand new homes under construction, new shops opening, lots of festivals, great Christmas celebrations coming up, so the village is definitely on it's way to a great renaissance from its past glorious days."
But the newest business enterprise, just on the edge of town, has some people concerned. The Cobra swingers club recently opened its doors and is hoping to bring a different kind of business to town. Advertising food, rooms, party facilities and the opportunity for sexual liaisons, club owners also promote themselves on Craigslist, noting their bondage room is almost finished ... all for a nominal price, or membership fee.
At the frame shop in New Richmond, business owner Diane Mott doesn't see any reason to be particularly concerned about the club.
"It's a business, it's in a business community, you find businesses like that in other communities, there are people who don't like them to come into this town, but I don't see that it's a problem. They are just people doing business."
The man behind that business is Jeff McGinnis, seen here in a previous story. In 2007, McGinnis plead guilty to Hamilton County criminal charges of falsification and operating a business without a license.
There's nothing necessarily illegal about a swingers club. However, depending on what services are offered on the property, meaning, food, rooms and that sort of thing, they probably need state or local licenses.
I found that investigators with the Clermont County Auditors Office, as well as the State Department of Taxation are looking into exactly those issues.
