Milford, Pa- A petition urging the owner of Doc’s Sports Bar to withdraw its application for adult entertainment at the restaurant will begin circulating today.

Resident Cheryl Shea spearheaded the drive and asked former state Rep. Marie Parente to draw up the petition, which she did yesterday.

Kevin Coady Sr., of Mendon, last week applied for a special permit to feature adult entertainment at his restaurant.

“I’m very concerned about what’s happening,” Shea said. “People do not want this type of entertainment in our community. There is a lot of opposition.”

According to the town bylaw, an adult entertainment enterprise qualifies for a number of uses, including an establishment that features exotic dancers and strippers, an adult video store and stores that sell sex toys.

The application does not specify what kind of adult entertainment Doc’s is seeking.

Coady could not be reached for comment yesterday. The restaurant is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Parente said she has known the Coady family for years and he has run a good businesses in the past.

“They’re fine, respectable people,” Parente said. “We’re appealing to him on that basis. I hope it appeals to his good sense. We can’t let him think we agree with this latest move.”

Doc’s must go through the Zoning Board of Appeals to acquire the special permit. The board will likely have a public hearing for the application at its March 13 meeting.

The organizers of the petition hope to get 1,000 signatures and present them at the ZBA hearing.

The special permit application is a zoning issue, said ZBA Chairman Jonathan Bruce. “All input is significant. I encourage people to participate,” Bruce said. “I don’t want to mislead. Our decision has to be made based on the bylaw. We have a codified set of rules that we must follow, that we will follow.”

Among the bylaw requirements are rules stating the enterprise cannot provide obscene merchandise or services, disseminate adult matter to minors or be located within 400 feet of a dwelling or school.

The special permit application, received Feb. 4 by the town clerk’s office, says the proposed use will not “cause harm to the neighborhood or create a nuisance or hazard affecting the health, safety or general welfare of the public.”

The application also says that privacy glass will be set up to prevent any view from outside.

Shea does not believe the enterprise will be good for the town.

“That’s absolutely something we don’t want to see, regardless of whether the building is boarded up,” Shea said. “I’m not a politician. I’m a mom first. I’m a taxpayer. We all have the right to express our opinion. We don’t feel it stands for the values Milford has always stood for.”

“We’re not against Mr. Coady personally. We just don’t want it in our community.”

Parente said she has been to Doc’s before, most recently in 2005 for a celebration of the Hopedale boys cross-country championship.

“A lot of young people went there,” she said. “What if parents don’t want any more events down there?”

The petition will go out through e-mail, while supporters will also be knocking on doors and making phone calls, Shea said.

Shea has already heard from numerous other residents. “I am yet to run into one person who is in favor of it,” she said.

Shea said she hopes the petition drive will get a lot of people to the hearing.

Bruce said he expects a large turnout.

“Certainly we won’t cut off anyone,” he said. “Part of a fair hearing is to hear everyone.”

The petition states that Coady renewed his licenses as late as December without indication of any changes in operations.

The petition objects to the location of prurient activities in the community.

“It seems wherever you go, people are talking about it. It’s not something you want to be known for,” Parente said. “Once (the petitions) are out, I think people will respond.”