FREDERICTON - Dancers from Fredericton's sole strip club will soon be looking for work after a decision by the city to buy the bar -- only to close it down.
Holly Ramsay, the 27-year-old manager of the North Star Sports Bar Pub, said the $500,000 sale to the City of Fredericton saddened employees.
She said she didn't think city councillors would commit public funds to shut the bar down.
"We never imagined they would spend the money just to get rid of something," she said in a phone interview Tuesday.
"It's not a bad place. ... They don't care about the people of Fredericton because if they did they'd understand this is a part of the city. It's been here 15 years."
Ramsay said she also questioned why the city would want to close the building so shortly after it underwent renovations.
"We just got a new stage and all new poles."
City council passed a resolution Monday night approving the purchase of the property at 100 Clark St.
Mayor Brad Woodside said the decision to buy the bar was not about the city trying to rid itself of strip clubs.
"They approached us to sell," he said. "We buy and sell land all the time. ... It just happens to be in a part of the property we bought, but we have no use for a strip bar."
Coun. Eric Megarity, who represents the neighbourhood where the strip bar is located, voted for the resolution.
"It's not about the type of business," he said. "It's where the business is located."
He said it's unclear what will become of the building, but he believes the land can be rezoned for condominiums or low-cost housing.
Ramsay said about 10 exotic dancers work at the club from Wednesday to Saturday night. She said the dancers range from mothers with several children to students working their way through college.
