Alcoholic beverages will temporarily be unavailable during events at the Mauch Chunk Opera House.

JTAMS Inc., operators of the Jim Thorpe venue, placed its liquor license in escrow Wednesday night, less than a month after paying its fifth Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board fine since November 2013."We can't afford the fines," said Dan Hugos, executive producer at the opera house."The last one cost $800 and they keep escalating. It's like throwing money into a lake. We also didn't want to risk losing the license altogether."According to the PLCB website, all the fines resulted from neighbor complaints of music audible beyond the opera house property line.The last five fines have cost JTAMS a total of $2,450.In July, JTAMS and the neighbors tentatively reached an agreement that included adding vestibules next to existing doors and put double panes on second and third-floor windows.JTAMS has already spent $20,000 on 10-inch thick doors, soundproof windows and new drywall."I'm not sure anyone knew what the agreement was from the beginning," Hugos said. "We need to find a solution where there is enough money to have a hope of accomplishing it. To accomplish certain versions of the prior agreement would take more money than I can borrow from a bank."According to Pennsylvania law, liquor licenses can be held in "safekeeping" for up to three years. License holders can apply for one-year extensions, which also come with a fee.The license can be removed from safekeeping with:• Application for return of license.• Fees totaling $150.• A background investigation to verify information regarding a re-issuance of license."We're hopefully going to sit down with our neighbors and come up with something that works for everyone," Hugos said. "If we do that, we can take the license out of escrow."Hugos said time to complete soundproofing projects is also an issue."For example, we have four sets of doors and to put vestibules on those doors is a major project," Hugos said. "It can't happen tomorrow. We have to go through the borough code process. We're not trying to delay things, but we have an 1881 venue and some of the things we need to do are massive."While the liquor license is in escrow, JTAMS can't be fined.Jim Thorpe Borough Council, meanwhile, continues to work on a noise ordinance. Municipalities with a noise ordinance can file a petition with the LCB for exemption to the part of the law that prohibits sound beyond the licensee's property line."We're hoping it would be similar to one enacted in Summit Hill," Hugos said. "This is a really important issue and we hope to come up with a solution that is better for everyone."Jim Thorpe's noise ordinance committee meets again on Wednesday.