Meeting: Salem Licensing Board held Monday, January 24, 2011 at 6:00 pm in the third floor conference room, 120 Washington Street. Present were members: Rick Lee and John Casey and Melissa Pagliaro, Clerk. Absent were: Chairman Robert St. Pierre and Investigator Lt. Ouellette.
Approved: One Day Liquor License. Applicant: Boston Ballet at North Shore YMCA. Present: Evangeline Rooney.
Mr. Casey asked about the event and if it was all alcohol or beer & wine.
Ms. Rooney said that is the annual event and that it will be for beer and wine.
Mr. Casey asked if they have arranged for a detail officer and if they have their insurance certificate.
Ms. Rooney said they have arranged for an officer from 4:30-8:30 and said the insurance is with the application.
Mr. Lee motioned to approve and waive the fee because they are a 503C.
Mr. Casey seconded.
Approved: Request to amend Entertainment License to include live music. Applicant: Adriatic Restaurant. Present: Algenita Carti.
Ms. Carti said that they would like to have occasional live entertainment so they would like it added to the license.
Mr. Lee motioned to amend the license to add live to it.
Mr. Casey seconded
Update: Salem Waterfront Hotel and Suites. Present: Joe Correnti, Attorney, Mike Rockett and Richard Rockett, owners.
Mike Rockett said that they have had a great year and he would love to be able to tell the Board that all is set to go but its not. He said they have recently hired a traffic engineer and a legal consultant. He said that since his fathers passing there are some issues tied up in the estate.
Attorney Correnti said that after the last update Mr. Rockett passed away. He said that Mike and Richard Rockett are both heavily involved in running the Pickering Wharf property. He said that several things have factored into the lack of progression of this project such as the economic climate and also the death of Mr. Rockett. He said it has taken all of this time to get the ducks in a row and the good news is that things are finally starting to progress.
Mike Rockett said that the process has been laborious.
Mr. Lee asked for a “guesstimate” of when things might start.
Mr. Rocket said that the permitting process has to be done again and between DEP, MEPA and the Planning Department probably a year.
Mr. Casey said they are not harassing them but that the LB has a higher authority to answer to, the ABCC and the LB needs something to give them.
Mr. Lee said that the LB can table it with the understanding that the project is moving forward and asked that the Rockett’s would come back in a three months with another update.
Mr. Casey seconded.
Discussion: Councilor Lovely said that she was here tonight to speak to the LB about Fortunetelling Licenses. She said she is the Chair of the Ordinance, Licenses and Legal Affairs Committee and wanted to be clear on the process for this category. She said that Ms. Pagliaro forwarded her the list of Store, Sub-licensee and Individual FT licenses and she wanted to ask about a couple of things. She asked if the Store licenses were based on the fact that the store was primarily metaphysical. She said one that she noticed on the list was Coons Card Shop. She said it is noted that they no longer have a reader but did have one. She said she wasn’t sure if they were primarily metaphysical.
Mr. .Casey said he went on a visit to Coon’s last year with Lt. Ouellette and they were satisfied that she was at least 50% metaphysical.
Ms. Lovely also asked about A Higher Balance Healing center.
Mr. Casey said they also visited there and even held off on issuing the license until they visited to make sure they met the criteria.
Ms. Lovely asked about Witch’s Hide.
Mr. Casey said that the LB was not satisfied initially when they came in but they then replaced some of their merchandise to have metaphysical inventory.
Ms. Lovely also asked about the policy that business must be in business one year to obtain a Store license. She asked about Christian Day’s new store HEX. She said she had an opportunity to speak to Mr., St. Pierre today about this issue. She said they discussed putting a cap on the number of licenses. She said that when the City Council previously redid the ordinance she said that the issue might be that it was unconstitutional to put a cap on the number of licenses. She said that she is going to speak to the City Solicitor about this again and she would report back to the LB.
Mr. Casey said he is in agreement with a cap because the licenses are easier to monitor if there are not so many of them.
Approved: Transfer of Liquor License from Tuan Le d/b/a Friendly Mini Mart to Shree Om, Inc d/b/a Friendly Mini Mart, 235 Lafayette Street. Present: Attorney Arthur Perlman for Hiral D. Swadia.
Attorney Perlman said he represents Ms. Swadia which is seeking to transfer the license. He said that Ms. Swadia is the sole director of the Corp. He said that she has someone who is ready to pass away in India and had to go home for that. He said that some of her relatives who will be running the store with her are here tonight.
Mr. Casey said that he would like to meet with her upon her return. He said that this is a college town and he is concerned about properly checking ID’s.
Attorney Perlman said that his client has owned another store in Southbridge since 2008. He said she will be at the store 40 hours a week. He said that it will be family run and that they all have an economic interest in there so they will be careful that nothing happens.
Mr. Casey said that one of his concerns is that they are in such proximity to SSCU and that in the past students know which places will take a fake id and word gets out about that place so he wants to be sure that employees working the store know what acceptable ID is.
Mr. Perlman said he gives a guide to all of his clients with the Liquor Laws of MA. He said the hours would be the same as they are now. He said that the owner is TIPS certified.
Mr. Casey asked when they would be assuming the business.
Mr. Perlman said if the application goes through tonight probably not for eight weeks or so.
Mr. Casey asked if the new owner is assuming the current lease.
Attorney Perlman said no it is a new lease.
Mr. Lee asked if the name would change.
Attorney Perlman said that the name is staying the same.
Mr. Casey went over the rules in package store as to how much of the window space can be covered with signage. He said the register needs to be kept in clear view in case of an emergency.
Attorney asked if it is ok the way it is now.
Mr. Casey said that it was. He also went over the rule with him about keeping the front of the store swept clean of debris on a daily basis.
Mr. Casey asked if the food they sold was all packaged.
Attorney Perlman said that it was.
Mr. Casey motioned to approve the transfer and said that the new owner is to briefly meet with him upon return.
Mr. Lee seconded.
Communications: *Hearing Notice from ABCC for 62 on Wharf. Read, received and placed in file.
Old/New Business: *Mr. Lee submitted for the file for Exchange on Congress the postcard that has been circulated.
*Ms. Lovely said that there is a committee meeting on Thursday and was wondering what other licenses were out there other than Mr. Rockett’s.
Mr. Lee said that the licenses that are not being used but in process of being are: The Exchange, Casa Blanca and Asahi. He said they are all in progress.
Mr. Casey said on that note that we have forgotten about the man that owns Ristorante Gioia and said he would like to be included in the Mayor’s proposal. He said he has been in business here for 5 years and does not want him forgotten.
Approved: Meeting minutes from January 10, 2011 meeting
Mr. Lee motioned to approve
Mr. Casey seconded.
Adjournment: Mr. Lee motioned to adjourn
Mr. Casey seconded. All in favor
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa Pagliaro
Clerk of the Board
Submitted: January 26, 2011
Approved: February 14, 2011
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