The Holliston Select Board had a quorum of two members as Chair John Cronin was absent.  Vice-chair Tina Hein called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm (not a typo – a delayed start due to a “light agenda.”)  With a Public Hearing slated for 7:45, the Board got right to business and quickly tackled the first three items on the agenda.

Warrants: The Board unanimously approved the weekly accounts payable and payroll warrants totaling -> $877,692.75

Public Comment:

• Mr. Sparrell:
  • During the week of June 19^th – there will be NO change in the trash / recycling pickup schedule.
  • During the week of July 3^rd – NORMAL pickup on Monday, Tuesday – Friday pickup DELAYED one day
• Mrs. Hein:
  • Attended the kickoff meeting of the Creative Placemaking initiative.  8 – 10 residents have volunteered to work with the MAPC to collect art that will be publicly displayed – in / around Blair Square
• Public:
  • Resident Jason Breslau asked that a similar treatment (flexible bollards) that made the Hollis St / Highland St intersection be one lane going west be used at the intersection of Prentice / Highland.  His concern is that effectively there are now 2 lanes at the east end of Prentice and the rules that generally apply at all-way stops don’t manage two cars at the intersection from the same road.  Town Administrator Ahern will take the request to the Town’s traffic consultants.

Comments from the Town Administrator:  Mr. Ahern provide the following information:

• Monday was the “soft close” of the Envision Future Holliston data collection phase.  Some additional input is expected later this week.
• Next BerryDunn (consultant) will be crunching the data – a spike of input was noted after the conversation at Town Meeting.
• The first public forum with Lombardo Associates related to the proposed downtown sewer district will be held this Wednesday (6/14), from 6:30 – 8:00pm in the Upper Town Hall.
• The agendas for the next two Board meetings will be robust.

7:45 p.m. Public Hearing: Mobil Gas Station – Application to sell Beer and Wine

The Board voted to open the hearing as duly posted at 7:45pm.  The principals who recently assumed the lease of the Mobil station at 815 Washington St. requested that a Beer / Wine license be issued for their business.

This same ownership group owns two other similar convenience store locations in Franklin and Uxbridge.  All the employees of the store will be TIPS certified by the State.  Given the small size of the store, ONLY beer will be sold at this location.

Kamleshkumar Patel (above center) and his partners answered questions from the Board including providing a schematic diagram (below) of how / where the beer cooler will be located.  The cooler has a locking capability.

The Board expressed concern about the proximity of this outlet to Goodwill Park and the Park’s heavy use by young people.  HPD Chief Matthew Stone sent the Board his concern about the park, noting that prominent signage and increased HPD patrols would minimize the risk.  The principals provided the hours of operation when beer would be sold: 8am – 9pm; Mon – Sat and 10am – 9pm. 

Via Zoom, the Kileys, below, inquired about the number of similar liquor licenses that are currently available in Holliston.  Holliston has three such licenses available.

The Board closed the Hearing at 8:08pm.  The Board approved the liquor license request with the conditions that the cooler be locked (requiring attendant assistance for service) and that the business provide prominent signage about legal consumption of alcohol.  Mr. Ahern will forward the necessary paperwork to the Mass Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.  The business owners expect it to take about 60 days for the license to be received from the State.

Board Business: The Board took the following actions:

• Postponed the Annual Appointments
• Authorized Mr. Ahern to receive, review, and approve / deny requests to have items posted on the Blair Square Tri-Panel Kiosk – One side each for: Parks & Rec, Trails, and Select Board (this is the panel tonight’s action governs – the procedure will be reviewed later this year.
• Approved a one-day Beer and Wine License the Alcohol Enthusiast on June 24, 2023, 258 Norfolk Street, Arcadian Farm
• Approved the contract with P.J. Keating Company for road rehabilitation (overlays) $845,000 for FY 24
• Approved event permit for Ernie’s Run Softball Tournament June 17, 2023.
• Approved the minutes of the April 10, 2023, meeting.
• Approved Certificates of Recognition for seven recently retired HFD members:
  • Arthur (Jim) Moore – 37 years of faithful service to the Town as an on-call Firefighter / EMT, Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy & EMS Supervisor.
  • Robert Christensen – 35 years of faithful service to the Town as an on-call Firefighter.
  • Frederick Carnes – 32 years of faithful service to the Town as an on-call Firefighter.
  • Gregg Lewis – 34 years of faithful service to the Town as an on-call Firefighter.
  • James Rossini – 40 years of faithful service to the Town as an on-call Firefighter.
  • Philip Robshaw – 48 years of faithful service to the Town as an on-call Firefighter / EMT.
  • John Murphy – 27 years of faithful service to the Town as an on-call Firefighter, Lieutenant, and Captain.
• The Certificates will be presented by Board Chair Cronin at the HFD retirement party being held this Saturday at the Franklin Elks.

Other Business:  None

The meeting adjourned at 8:19pm.  The Board next meets on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at 7:00pm.