Pittsfield Licensing Board OKs Bowling Alley, Hudpuckers
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Licensing Board heard of two local favorites' return on Monday.
An entertainment and bowling alley license was approved for K&M Bowling, which will have a grand opening on Friday in the former Imperial Bowl on Dalton Avenue. A liquor license transfer was also approved for the former Tahiti Takeout, which relatives of the shuttered Bobby Hudpuckers plan to reopen as "Hudpuckers."
City residents Kari and Mark Mathes and other family members renovated the candlepin alley into tenpin bowling after purchasing it in November. Robert Ireland ran the lanes for 45 years before retiring.
The licenses were approved for opening hours to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 12:30 a.m. on the weekend. Kari Mathes pointed out that the bowling alley also plans to offer karaoke.
Imperial Bowl was the only alley left in the city.
"I want to say that I am thrilled that bowling is coming back to Pittsfield," Chair Thomas Campoli said. "You guys are brave to do that and I wish you all of the luck."
The former Tahiti Takeout's license was transferred to Justin Martin of Hudpuckers Inc.
Attorney Loretta Mach explained that the intention is to open a pub focusing on sports in the Wahconah Street location.
"They do have experience running restaurants and are looking forward to the opportunity," she said.
When asked about the name, it was explained that the owner of Bobby Hudpuckers was a relative and the name is in honor of him. The original eatery has been closed for more than years and was formerly located on East Street and then on North Street.
The new owners plan to make it a quick-serve restaurant with food like hamburgers and sandwiches with a bar.
A Lenox Avenue resident attended the meeting to get more information about plans for the space.
He said Tahiti Takeout was always a good neighbor but two doors down was a "nightmare," referring to the former Johnny's Beach Club that was demolished last year after a truck drove into it. The board also rescinded the bar's liquor license.
The new owners said Hudpuckers will be food focused rather than alcohol focused, similar to Tahiti Takeout. They plan to stay open until 11 p.m. at the latest.
In other news, a show cause hearing for two disturbances at Thistle and Mirth that occurred on Jan. 7 and Jan. 13 was continued for the second time.
The first incident was an argument that took place outside of the West Street restaurant and the second, which prompted a referral to the Licensing Board, resulted in a window being broken.
Last month, board members felt that the reports provided by the Police Department did not allow them to make a well-informed decision because there were too many censored words. Knowing that it had been an issue in the past, Campoli requested to have responding officers present at the meeting to fill in the gaps and to his disappointment, those officers were not in attendance.
Because the officers were also not able to make this meeting, it was continued to the next month.
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