PORTAGE — The attorney for the owner of an empty building on Main Street said there is no truth to the rumors that a strip club is planned in the borough.

Several residents attended the Borough Council meeting Monday night to voice their concerns over the building that many feared would be turned into a strip club.

The Rev. Art Black said establishing a strip club in Portage is not acceptable for the community.

“I’m here to speak for our church community; we don’t want this in our town,” Black said. “We’re a decent town. We want to keep it that way, and I think there’s a lot of other people who feel the same way.”

Resident Beverly Petyak said she doesn’t want to see a strip club in Portage, either.

“We don’t want that in our community,” she said.

The building, located at 631 Main Street, is owned by Gary Vaughn. Vaughn, who was in attendance during Monday’s meeting, did not publicly comment on the situation.

His attorney, Matthew Zatko, said there is currently no truth to the rumors within the community.

“Quite frankly, there’s no plan (for the property) right now,” he said. “Gary is cleaning out the building that he has owned in the past. He hasn’t decided what he’s going to do with it, but the notion that there’s going to be a strip bar or some kind of public establishment that offers nudity is not correct.”

Zatko said that he and Vaughn are aware of the borough’s ordinances.

“We are certainly aware of the existing ordinances in Portage,” Zatko said. “If and when a decision is made about the future of the property, certainly those ordinances will be taken into consideration.”

Mayor Robert Fox said the borough cannot take action until an ordinance has been violated.

“Right now, there’s nothing to stop or nothing to look into,” Fox said.

“I guarantee you, the second there is, the council will do what’s within our power to make sure no ordinances are violated. That may not be what people want to hear right now, but there’s no other answer to it than that.”