Hamilton officials shutter troubled massage parlor - The Trentonian

[massage]

HAMILTON >> A local massage therapy business on Nottingham Way that police previously raided for alleged prostitution was shuttered Wednesday afternoon for the building being deemed unsafe for human occupancy.

“They cleaned up in here, but they haven’t corrected any of the violations,” Hamilton Township Zoning Officer Michael P. Cosma said inside the New Spa. “Right now, there shouldn’t be anybody in here.”

The New Spa business was cited for a variety of electrical and building code violations after the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office had executed a search warrant at the establishment in March. Police at that time arrested 51-year-old Dong Zhang and charged her with engaging in prostitution.

“They partitioned units off illegally, and there are nine units,” Hamilton Health Officer Jeff Plunkett alleged of the massage parlor business. “They have electrical violations and major structural violations at the rear of the building, and that’s what they are being cited for.”

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The owner of the commercial property is Wilson Merrick of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Instead of correcting the building problems, “He just moved people back in here” without ever obtaining a certificate of occupancy, Cosma said of Merrick.

“You have people operating in here and you have no certificate of occupancy,” Cosma said Wednesday in a voice mail he left for Merrick.

Three female employees of the massage parlor aged 50 years old or older were inside the building when township officials deemed it unsafe for human occupancy. Hamilton police officers transported those women to the township’s train station Wednesday evening.

“You can’t stay here,” Hamilton Township Economic Development Director Marty Flynn told the women. “It’s unsafe.”

Township officials placed an orange tag on the front window of the property that read: “Imminent hazard. Unsafe structure notice. This building is declared unsafe for human occupancy. No individual is to occupy this building until the structure is rendered safe and secure.”

Hamilton Township Mayor Kelly Yaede wants Hamilton Council to adopt an ordinance that would allow Hamilton to regulate massage parlor businesses.

Hamilton Council Tuesday night unanimously declined to introduce an ordinance that would have required all massage parlor business owners in Hamilton Township to undergo a criminal background check and apply for a $400 license to operate a massage therapy establishment. The ordinance also would have required all massage therapy workers to obtain a state massage therapy license from the New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy and would have restricted the business to only be permitted to operate between the hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“This is really overregulation of an industry that is already overseen by the state,” Hamilton Council President Ileana Schirmer said Wednesday in explaining why Hamilton Council declined to introduce the massage business regulatory ordinance. “I think we did the right thing.”

The 10-page ordinance was similar to ordinances that Lawrence Township, Hightstown and West Windsor already have on their books to regulate massage therapy establishments in those municipalities.

Schirmer said the totality of the ordinance was problematic to her, saying the ordinance would give the township the power to go inside massage establishments “and dictate how they would run their businesses.”

Yaede on Wednesday said Hamilton Council should participate in a public conversation on the issue of whether Hamilton should regulate massage establishments.

“I cannot stress the importance of providing the municipality with the tools to keep Hamilton clean, safe and beautiful,” Yaede said, “and I implore the council to revisit this issue and perhaps find common ground or amend the ordinance, protecting the residents of Hamilton Township going forward.”

“I believe it warrants a public conversation,” Yaede added. “However, perhaps changes can be made to the ordinance, but the bottom line is regarding the issue of massage parlors, those that are unscrupulous or running illegal activity as we’ve seen today, have no regard for the quality of life of their neighbors or the safety of their patrons or at times their employees.”

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