A downtown theatre owner asked for and received special permission to remain in his establishment until 2 a.m. every night he is open, following an appeal to the Warren Town Council last week.

David Podsnap, owner of the Galactic Theatre at 440 Main St., said law that requires he be out of the premises by 1:30 a.m. has created a burden for him and his small staff as it doesn’t leave enough time to clean up, count receipts, re-stock supplies and do other tasks.

“It’s almost impossible to get out the door in time” without calling the police and asking for an extension, which he has done many times, he said.

“It would be nice to not have to rush or (sit in my car) and finish up,” he said.

Ordinances dictate a 12:45 a.m. last call, a 1 a.m. closing time and all patrons must be out of establishments by 1:20 a.m. Mr. Podsnap told the council he never has patrons in the theater past that time, and usually tries to get everyone out by about 1:05 a.m.

Still, that leaves precious little time to do what needs to be done, he said.

Mr. Podsnap has called police dozens of times for extensions and while they are usually granted, they haven’t always been.

“I’d rather not bother (police) every single night,” he told the council. “It’s exhausting. I’m just trying to make it simple for me, you, them, everybody.

Acting Police Chief Roy Borges said he had no problem with the request:

“We haven’t had any issues,” he said.

Councilors voted unanimously to grant the extension, though president Keri Cronin said there would be an “extremely short leash” attached.

“I understand that it is a slippery slope and opens the doors to others making the same request.”

But if the additional half hour of time is used solely to clean up the establishment and settle the books after a long day, councilors said they had no problem with it.