Pittsfield's Tavern at The A Will Seek New Operators
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Tavern at The A is again looking for a new operator with a hopeful opening in the spring. First, it must be able to transfer the liquor license.
On the agenda for last week's Licensing Board meeting was a conversation with Steve Cobb, president of the General Electric Athletic Golf Course board of directors. The Crane Avenue restaurant is on the golf course's property.
Attorney Bill Martin said there is a "really bad relationship" with the holder of The A's liquor license — with owners struggling to even get in contact. A few years ago, the former tenants went out of business and now, he said the GEAA is facing a worse situation with the latest tenants.
"Another tenant operator has managed to do even worse, has left us in a situation where we not only have, I think, unpaid [Department of Unemployment Assistance] and [Department of Revenue] obligations but we can't even get enough information out of her at this point to determine what those obligations are," Martin reported.
"It looks like there has been a lot of months that were not filed. We spent the last three or four weeks basically chasing as hard as we can simply to get the renewal application filed."
According to The A's Facebook, the restaurant appears to have been closed since late summer though craft-making events at the Roasted Garlic, a restaurant on West Housatonic Street, are being advertised on the page.
Martin said there are also unpaid vendors, amounting to "tens of thousands of dollars worth of obligations that we're probably going to have to clear in connection with an application" for a liquor license transfer.
"We desperately want to be back in business certainly by the early spring," he said.
"That means that we've got to be back in front of you with an application as soon as we can because we know that once it gets the [Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission], that could be anywhere from a month to two or three."
He reported that the license holder did sign a form that allowed the GEAA to pay the renewal fee.
There was some discussion about moving forward with a future transfer if the licensee is uncooperative. Chairman Thomas Campoli observed that the board may have the authority to delay the renewal fee at least until the next meeting.
The GEAA will have to work out the rest with the state.
"My biggest problem now is figuring out what the obligation is," Martin said.
Tags: license board, alcohol license,
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