Karaoke bar can be re-opened at last

Manfred Bucher discovered the delights of karaoke in the Nineties and, two years ago, after having been previously active in karaoke circles in the canton of Lucerne, he and his four daughters thought it would be a good idea to open the first such bar in the canton of Zug. His aim was not to make money, but simply to enable others to share the joy he found in performing. Fortunately, this will now be possible, but it has been a stony path.
 
In spring of 2013, neighbours of the Maybe Karaoke bar in the industrial area on Knonauerstrasse in Cham successfully objected to its opening. As a result, except for a three week period, all the sound equipment, beamers and other paraphernalia has remained unused on the premises.
 
"The whole business relating to the objections was a nonsense," he said. It was in April last year that some 40 locals wrote to the authorities to express their fears about the noise the singers would make. They were also concerned about all the additional traffic the bar would attract, especially bearing in mind it was due to stay open until 4 a.m. Then there was the matter of where clients were going to be able to park.
 
As a result, Bucher (photograph), never one to give up, brought the closing time forward to 2 a.m. and arranged for additional car parking on an adjacent site. Furthermore he invited neighbours round to see the club, though only a few took up the offer and, at his own expense, he commissioned a noise survey report. Cham council then duly agreed the bar could open in September of 2013. He had to close it again after only 3 weeks, however. "I had the police round at the beginning of October," he said, after it became apparent that 24 nearby residents had objected to the council's decision, meaning that the matter was to be determined by the cantonal government. Only now has this higher authority ruled that the measures undertaken by Bucher do not adversely affect the locals' right to a peaceful environment.
 
"So there we were, one year on, with those 24 objections citing the very same problems as in September 2013 despite all I had done to alleviate them in the meantime," he said. "The whole business has meant a lot of frayed nerves, plus a wasted CHF 100,000 for 12 months' rent, not to mention other costs and the fee for the noise survey report." The 61-year-old admitted there were times when his motivation was at rock bottom, but he stuck to his plans, knowing that he had done everything by the board.
 
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