Trustees Hear Mamaroneck Harbor Jazz Club Plan

A proposal to anchor a jazz club in Mamaroneck harbor drew generally favorable reviews—if no guarantees of approval—this week from the village board of trustees.

Impresario Billy Frenz laid out his vision for the club before the board’s Monday evening meeting, reinforcing his presentation with a slide show set to music.  The club would be housed in the Showboat, a 100-foot-long re-creation of an old-time paddlewheeler.  The onetime amusement park attraction served for years as a lounge in Greenwich harbor before Frenz bought it about 10 years ago. Engineless, it would be permanently moored at dockside, in the harbor’s East Basin, outside the federal channel.

Steven Feinstein, Frenz’s lawyer, said the venue envisions being open seven days a week and—while sensitive and flexible on the hours—playing music from about 4 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends until about 2 or 3 in the morning.

After the presentation, Mayor Norman S. Rosenblum, a supporter of the proposal, was eager to move it forward.  But some trustees—notably John Hofstetter and Toni Pergola Ryan—urged the board to exercise “due diligence” and give the proposal a thorough vetting.  Residents who spoke also expressed general approval but raised questions of noise and the loss of potential docking spaces.

Still, a day later, Frenz pronounced himself satisfied with the hearing and the reception he had gotten. “I thought it went very well,” he said, describing the trustee meeting as simply  “the first hurdle.” In addition to seeking eventual board approval, Frenz must also appear before multiple village regulatory agencies and panels.

“I look forward to supplying all of the info they need,” he said, “so that they realize what a great, unique attraction this will be for Mamaroneck.”

A Greenwich resident, Frenz has led a rhythm-and-blues band, Billy and the Showmen, for four decades, backing Billy Vera and, more recently, playing at the inaugural of Connecticut Governor Daniel Malloy.

The 100-by-30-foot vessel itself, built in 1960, plied the waters of Freedomland's faux Mississippi for four years before the Bronx amusement park closed and began its slow metamorphosis into Co-Op City.

In his presentation, Feinstein said the club would be open year-round, offering “good, contemporary jazz” and cocktails. Capable of accommodating 149 people, the club would cater to patrons 35 and older, he said, adding that the choice of music might draw a crowd “a good bit older.”

Frenz, responding to a question from Ryan, said the club would provide what he called “a ‘bar’ menu” from a small kitchen. “We’d rather see you before dinner and after dinner,” Frenz said.

Mayor Rosenblum called the club an opportunity for the village to improve its reputation as, “a destination for people to go. . . I am absolutely in favor of the concept.”

Trustee Sid Albert promised to keep an open mind, saying, “The harbor is our gem.”