Vallarelli pushes for liquor raise
Published on December 12th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - Selectman Frank Vallarelli advocated at Tuesday night’s Selectmen meeting for boosting the price for first-time liquor license charges by as much as four times the current $2,500 rate.
After the board approved several new restaurant liquor license renewals during its regular meeting this week, the rookie Selectmen suggested that the town reexamine the prices regularly assessed for the permissions.
According to Vallarelli, previous surveys on the license fees comparing Stoneham’s cost structure to surrounding communities had revealed that Stoneham has a history of charging significantly less for the right to sell alcoholic beverages.
In fact, in his view, town officials could easily up the price-tag to as high as $10,000 and still remain competitive with the costs of nearby municipalities.
“I don’t want it to affect any licenses that are in effect now. I think going forward, we should up what we charge,” said Vallarelli. “Paying $2,500 for a new license is ridiculous.”
Selectman John DePinto later agreed with his counterpart, pointing out that large cities like Boston currently assess liquor license costs in excess of $200,000.
While not disagreeing, Selectman Paul Rotondi later argued that the board should revisit its entire fee schedule for liquor license costs, including renewals.
According to Rotondi, the Selectmen would be better off discussing the license charges at a future meeting.
“That’s a valid point,” he said. “But can we put it on the agenda? If we’re going to review that, we ought to review renewal charges and the whole package.”
During last Tuesday’s meeting, the Selectmen endorsed all liquor license renewals before them for consideration – for both restaurants and package stores – with the exception of a request from Marino’s Restaurant.
The restaurateurs, who had previously sought to occupy the space at 19 Franklin Street in July of 2006 that was formerly occupied by D’agostino’s, reportedly, dropped their plans to open the eatery.
According to the Selectmen, any new restaurant proprietor would have to come back before them for both site plan and liquor license approval, if the right to sell spirits was being requested.
Montvale again hosts holiday cheer
The Selectmen again thanked Montvale Plaza owner Marty Murphy this Tuesday for hosting his fourth annual senior Christmas party earlier this month.
The Medford resident, who once again footed the entire bill for the holiday party at the Montvale Plaza banquet hall, was honored by the Selectmen for the generous act with a certificate of appreciation.
Four years ago, Murphy swooped in to save the senior citizen Christmas party from extinction, after the Selectmen cut the line-item from their budget in the wake of a pending budget deficit.
With Stoneham’s bottom-line looking no better since then, the well-known local philanthropist has continued to serve-up gratis hot chicken pie, mashed potatoes, rolls, and dessert at his Franklin Street facility.
“Marty every year holds the senior luncheon, and it’s very nice to see you stand-up and do that,” said Selectman Chair George Seibold. “It’s 300 plus people every year.”
“It’s a great day. It was great with all the support from the volunteers,” responded Murphy, thanking the various town, state, and local leaders who helped defray the costs by volunteering at the event.
Town refinances bonds for $25K savings
Town Treasurer Thomas Cicatelli appeared before the Selectmen this week for approval to save $25,000 by refinancing over $25,000 in bonds.
According to Cicatelli, the request last Tuesday flew against the face of tradition, where he normally seeks approval to authorize new borrowing payments. Instead, the Town Treasurer asked the Selectmen to recall two separate bonds, one from 1992 and the other from 1997, so that the town could realize the reduced costs.
“We’re at a point where we can call them, refinance them, and still pay them off at the same time [previously anticipated],” the Town Treasurer explained. “We are allowed to call it when we get near the end of the lifetime of the issuances.”
Town Administrator David Ragucci later updated the Selectmen on Cicatelli’s future position shift from the financial office to a much called for information technology (IT) post.
For a number of years, after the previous IT director was laid-off, the town has done without a computer and technology specialist due to financial restraints. However, in the interim, the long-time treasurer has filled that vacancy on a stipend basis.
“Tom is starting to set-up shop on the second floor of Town Hall,” said Ragucci of Cicatelli, who will officially change posts on Jan. 1.
Asst. Town Treasurer Diane Murphy will serve in her predecessor’s place on an interim basis.
Pebble Place sale
The Selectmen also authorized the sale of a small sliver of land off of Pebble Place this Tuesday to an area resident.
According to Town Counsel William Solomon, Stoneham residents Arthur and Amy Kanavos had recently bid $6,310 to purchase the 3,002 square foot piece of town property, which directly abuts their residence.
The town originally acquired the parcel a number of years ago as part of a sub-division endorsement for the area. However, that land, intended to become a cul-de-sac, had since been declared as unnecessary.
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