The Licensing Board had a fairly short meeting on Monday.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The plug has been pulled on the proposed Barcelona Tapas and Bar and the owners now plan to sell the Wahconah Street property.
Wahconah Street LLC's attorney Jeffrey Lynch told the Licensing Board on Monday that owners no longer plan to open but instead want to improve the 87 Wahconah St. property in hopes of selling it.
"It is essentially too rough," Lynch said. "It is in need of a new roof, exterior needs siding work, and the interior, although they started renovation, it needs to be cleaned up more."
Suzanne Chung, a partner with numerous restaurants including Jae's Bistro, Vongs, and 7 Winter Grill, and Oscar Amaya had planned to open a Spanish regional tapas restaurant at the former Johnny's Beach Club that they purchased in 2017.
Lynch said the all-alcohol license was transferred in 2018 but plans to open this summer were deterred by the condition of the property and it was placed on the market in the spring. It is listed for $295,000.
Lynch said they do plan to make improvements to the location to make it more sellable.
"At this point, the offers they have received are too low to make it viable for sale," he said. "So the plan is to raise the value of the property and the look of the neighborhood and hopefully find a new buyer."
A contractor has been hired and building permits should be pulled in the coming weeks. He said they hope to finish up renovations in October.
Lynch did note if they cannot sell the property, they may come before the board again to inquire about opening it themselves.
The Licensing Board only asked to be kept in the loop and that Lynch return to the October meeting to provide another update.
In other business, the board approved John Biotta's request for a class II used auto dealer's vehicle license. He plans to sell used vehicles at John's Automotive at 165 Wahconah St.
The board also approved MRM Samel's Deli and Catering request to specify where alcohol will be stored on the premises. This is a stipulation of the catering license the restaurant is applying for.
The board approved a change of manager request from Chili's Grill & Bar and a request from Berkshire Automotive Repair and Sales for a change of location form 111 West Housatonic St. to 607 West Housatonic Street.
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Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections
By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action.
The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.
"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.
"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature."
Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures.
Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis.
Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.
The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. click for more
Police Chief Thomas Dawley will retire next month after 24 years with the Pittsfield Police Department, and the mayor will appoint his successor.
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Last weekend, LaBeau raced in the Mount Zion Snocross National race in Ironwood, Mich., the first of eight races in the national circuit series.
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Brown hopes to one day work in a lab, feeding their strong interest in scientific research and making a positive difference in the world.
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Prior to the ribbon-cutting, public officials and community resource personnel were able to tour the two new permanent supported housing projects — West Housatonic Apartments and The First Street Apartments and Housing Resource Center.
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