Two longtime local restaurant/lounges plan to reopen soon with new management, and last week the county Board of License Commissioners conditionally granted transfers of the establishments' liquor licenses to the new owners.

Plans are underway to reopen the deck area of the Creekside Bar and Grill at 1225 Security Road, formerly the Creek Side Inn, this month, new owners Joseph and Stephanie Kehoe of Mt. Airy, Md., told the board during a hearing on the license transfer Wednesday.

The Class D on-and-off sale license is being transferred from the previous owner, Lisa K. Oness, Creek Side Inn Inc. The Kehoes' business entity is Creekside Bar and Grill, LLC.

The deck will be open through October, they said, and will close for the winter. They hope to have the interior renovated and fully open by March 2023, they said. Meanwhile, the deck will accommodate up to 125 patrons.

"Once we open fully back up in March we're going to be a crab restaurant," Joseph Kehoe said. The Creekside also will serve other American fare.

Kehoe said he plans to open Aug. 12-14, with live music — a band already is scheduled. The Kehoes then plan to be open Thursday through Sunday through October.

The board agreed to grant the license transfer pending completion of paperwork. The Kehoes will need to meet with the board again before reopening the inside area. They're also considering coming back for one-day licenses to operate a beer garden on the premises during weekends until they close the the deck area this fall.

The Break Away II Sports Lounge at 13726 Pennsylvania Ave. could reopen this month as well.

New owners Cristi Emerick-Tritle, Adam Emerick and Dalton Emerick, all of Greencastle, Pa., told the board they hope for a "soft open" in August and to be fully open by September.

Adam Emerick told the board the lounge will serve entrées and sandwiches, and a chef already has been hired. The new owners also plan to continue running the liquor store on the premises.

The board approved the Class B on-and-off sale license transfer from previous licensees, Courtney and Allen Harp, pending completion of paperwork and required changes to doors and locks.

The Emericks might also add services later on, they said; they're considering offering the warehouse area as an event venue.

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The board tabled a decision on whether to grant a Class D on-sale license to the Rich Forever Hookah Lounge, planned at 1423 Dual Highway, over concerns that selling drinks in a hookah lounge, which allows patrons to smoke tobacco through a water pipe, might violate the Maryland Clean Indoor Air Act.

A final decision is expected within 30 days, but board Chairman Jeff Buczkowski said he was inclined to deny the license based on provisions of the Indoor Air Act, which prohibits smoking where food and beverages are sold.

Board member Rich Newman said he also wanted to think about the issue before making a decision, although the third member, Alan Nevin, was ready to vote.

Applicants Saleema Smith and Micheldo Souffrant argued that they believe the operation would fall under the exceptions allowed in the state law, but told Herald-Mail Media after the hearing that they plan to open the hookah lounge even if they don't get a liquor license.

"We will still open; we just won't sell alcohol," Souffrant said.