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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-07-20 Select Board Minutes NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JULY 20, 2026 Executive Session: Chair Phillips stated the Board will enter Executive Session pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws chapter 30A, Sec. 21(a)(3)-to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining and litigation, pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws chapter 30A, Sec. 21(a)(2)-to conduct strategy session in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel, and to approve executive session minutes of June 1, 2026. MOTION: Brian Roache made a motion, seconded by Dave Kres to enter into Executive Session at 6:OOPM. Motion approved 4-0 by roll call vote. The Select Board moved to the Select Board Meeting Room to enter into regular session. Call To Order: Chair Janice Phillips called the open meeting to order at 7:OOPM in the Select Board Meeting Room located at 120 Main Street North Andover. Select Board in Attendance: Chair Janice Phillips, Laura Bates, Clerk Brian Roache, and David Kres were present. Not Present: Rosemary Connolly Smedile Non-Board Members in Attendance: Town Manager Melissa Murphy-Rodrigues, Assistant Town Manager Laurie Burzlaff and Assistant Town Manager Andrew Shapiro were present. PUBLIC COMMENT None. LICENSING MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to open a meeting of the North Andover Licensing Commission. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. PUBLIC HEARING -Application from Market Al Fresco LLC for a new off-premise wine and malt beverages liquor license and to add an alternate manager to their liquor license at 556 Turnpike Street MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to open the public hearing for the application from Market Al Fresca LLC for a new off-premise wine and malt beverages liquor license and to add an alternate manager to their liquor license at 556 Turnpike Street. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Attorney George Malonis and Mark Angluin were present. Attorney Malonis discussed the application. Attorney Malonis stated this will be an Italian marketplace featuring prepared food, groceries, packaged meats, vegetables and alcohol. Attorney Malonis discussed the alternate manager part of the application. Attorney Malonis stated Anthony Parasole, the proposed alternate manager, is present.Attorney Malonis stated Mr. Parasole is in the process of being TIPs certified. Attorney Malonis stated the hours of the business would be 9AM to 8PM on weekdays and 10AM to 8PM on Sundays. Mr. Kres asked if this was at the Friendly Toast complex. Attorney Malonis stated yes. Mr. Roache asked the approximate size of the space. Attorney Malonis stated 1,190 square feet. Mr. Roache asked how large the Tewksbury location was. Mr. Angluin stated 15,000 square feet. Mr. Angluin stated the Tewksbury location was a separate market and restaurant whereas the North Andover will be a market with prepackaged food. Mr. Roache asked if NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JULY 20, 2026 everything was prepared in Tewksbury and shipped over to the North Andover location. Mr. Angluin stated yes. Attorney Malonis stated there is no interior seating. Mr. Roache asked why they chose North Andover. Mr. Angluin explained why he chose North Andover. No public comment. MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to close the public hearing for the application from Market Al Fresca LLC for a new off-premise wine and malt beverages liquor license and to add an alternate manager to their liquor license at 556 Turnpike Street. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Vote on application from Market Al Fresco LLC for a new off-premise wine and malt beverages liquor license and to add an alternate manager to their liquor license at 556 Turnpike Street Ms. Bates asked if they had alcohol at the Tewksbury location. Mr. Angluin stated the market has an off-premise license and the restaurant has an on-premise license. Mr. Roache asked what kind of alcohol they would sell. Mr. Angluin stated wines and craft beers. MOTION: Ms. Bates motioned to approve the application from Market Al Fresco LLC for a new off-premise wine and malt beverages liquor license and to add an alternate manager to their liquor license at 556 Turnpike Street. Ms. Phillips seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Application from Sorprende Events by Ines LLC for a new entertainment license at 1820 Turnpike Street Mr. Kres explained the application and the hours of operation. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated based on the number of occupancies, she would not advise the Board to vote on this without the applicant present. TABLED. Update from Marbleridge Winery regarding their entertainment license Brig Leland was present. Mr. Leland provided an update on their entertainment license. Mr. Leland stated they have not had any entertainment outdoors. Mr. Roache asked if they are planning to have entertainment outdoors. Mr. Leland stated no. Mr. Kres stated at one point, there were discussions regarding adding more parking but believes that is now off the table. Mr. Leland stated yes, the abutters attorney and his attorney are working through any concerns the neighbors may have. Mr. Leland stated they are not looking to expand anything at this time. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated other than the letter to the Planning Board, they have not received any noise complaints. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the entertainment license does allow the applicant to have outdoor entertainment if they choose too. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues explained the process if they did have outdoor entertainment and were receiving complaints. Ms. Bates asked if there were only two neighbors. Mr. Leland stated he believes the letter is from three neighbors, possibly four. Vote to accept the surrendering of the all-alcohol on-premise liquor license from James Roger of TCRJR4 LLC, d/b/a Andiamo Social Restaurant and Bar at 1268 Osgood Street MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to accept the surrendering of the all-alcohol on-premise liquor license from James Roger of TCRJR4 LLC, d/b/a Andiamo Social Restaurant and Bar at 1268 Osgood Street. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 4-0. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JULY 20, 2026 Application from Stachev's Pizza to add two alternate managers to their on-premise wine & malt beverages pouring license at 9 High Street Chris Holland was present. Mr. Holland discussed the application. Mr. Holland stated the two managers would be himself and David Holland. Mr. Holland stated they have been managing the restaurant for eighteen years. MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to approve the application from Stachey's Pizza to add two alternate managers to their on-premise wine &malt beverages pouring license at 9 High Street. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Application for two special one-day wine and malt liquor license from Julie Olivere of Stevens-Coolidge House &Gardens for Thursday, August 20 and Thursday,August 27 from 6:OOPM to 8:OOPM at 153 Chickering Road Julie Olivere was present. Ms. Olivere discussed the application. Ms. Olivere stated they are adding additional concerts for the end of the summer as they have been very popular. Mr. Kres asked if the stage and sound location was the same as they have been doing it. Ms. Olivere stated yes. Ms. Olivere stated they have had no noise complaints. MOTION: Ms. Bates motioned to approve the application for two special one-day wine and malt liquor licenses from Julie Olivere of Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens for Thursday, August 20 and Thursday, August 27 from 6:OOPM to 8:OOPM at 153 Chickering Road. Ms. Phillips seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Application to amend the previously approved license for a one-day wine and malt liquor license from Julie Olivere at the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens to include an additional vendor, Marbleridge Winery, for events on July 23, 2026 and August 6, 2026 from 6:OOPM to 8:OOPM at 153 Chickering Road Julie Olivere was present. Ms. Olivere discussed the application. Ms. Olivere stated they were adding Marbleridge in addition to Oak and Iron. Ms. Olivere stated they have been a vendor with them for about 3 or 4 years now. MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to approve the application to amend the previously approved license for a one-day wine and malt liquor license from Julie Olivere at the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens to include an additional vendor, Marbleridge Winery, for events on July 23, 2026 and August 6, 2026 from 6:OOPM to 8:OOPM at 153 Chickering Road. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Application from TJR Line Inc, d/b/a Culpeppers Pub and Grill to add an alternate manager to their on-premise all-alcohol pouring license at 815 Turnpike Street MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to approve the application from TJR Line Inc, d/b/a Culpeppers Pub and Grill to add an alternate manager to their on-premise all-alcohol pouring license at 815 Turnpike Street. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Application from Mr. Joe Black Car LLC for a new taxi/livery license at 302 Pleasant Street Mickendy Moise was present. Mr. Moise discussed the application. Mr. Moise stated it would be a ride shared service. Mr. Moise stated he only has one vehicle, but the goal is to have two or three. Mr. Roache NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JULY 20, 2026 asked about the parking and if they would need to amend the license when Mr. Moise had more than one vehicle. Mr. Moise stated he currently has two parking spaces in front of the apartment. Mr. Kres asked if they expanded, they would need to find a different location. Mr. Moise stated yes, but he will not be the one driving;he will have drivers. MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to approve the application from Mr. Joe Black Car LLC for a new taxi/livery license at 302 Pleasant Street. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 4-0. MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to close the meeting of the North Andover Licensing Commission. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. NEW BUSINESS Request of Lawrence Municipal Airport for waiver of building permit fee Francisco Urena, Lawrence Airport Manager, Sharon Birchall, and Phil Cox were present. Mr. Urena explained their request. Mr. Urena stated they are in the process of building a new Lawrence Municipal Airport building to replace the older building. Mr. Urena discussed the communities the airport serves. Mr. Urena stated they received a grant. Mr. Urena discussed the conditions of the existing building. Mr. Urena discussed the proposed new administration facility. Mr. Urena discussed the upgrades the new building would have. Mr. Urena discussed the improved energy performance, flexible tenant spaces, increased accessibility, and optimized airfield views. Mr. Urena displayed 3D models of the new building. Mr. Urena discussed the site plan. Mr. Urena discussed the timeline for the project and where they are on that timeline. Mr. Urena discussed the construction cost and the potential building fee costs. Mr. Urena stated they are requesting some relief from the higher fees so they have sufficient funds for the project. Mr. Urena stated they have limitations from the State on the amount of reimbursement they would receive. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they have been working with the Lawrence Municipal Airport on this request. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated she is asking the Board to continue this to their next meeting so they can take the numbers that were provided and speak with the Town Building Commissioner. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the town bylaw states that permit fees are set by the Select Board and the Board is the only one who can waive these fees. Mr. Roache asked if we charge fees on the Town's own projects. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated no. Ms. Bates asked what their reimbursement from the State would be. Mr. Urena stated it is 95%. Ms. Bates asked what kind of relief they were looking for. Mr. Urena stated they would like to cover some of the costs of the inspections. Mr. Roache asked if they were offering two spaces for lease. Mr. Urena stated that is what they have currently. Mr. Roache asked if they charge rent for those. Mr. Urena stated yes. Mr. Urena stated the airport is an enterprise fund. Mr. Cox stated the restaurant they are leasing the space to would be responsible for the construction of their own space. Mr. Cox stated that MassDOT will construct the open shell for the space. Mr. Cox stated they are not expecting relief of permit fees for tenants. Mr. Cox stated there would be some outsourcing for the restaurant. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the restaurant would need to apply for different licenses through the Town. Mr. Roache asked how they would deliver an open shell space for rent to a restaurant tour. Mr. Urena stated they went through an RFP process and are negotiating a lease with a tenant. Mr. Cox discussed other MassDOT aviation projects similar to this that also had space for a restaurant. Mr. Cox provided a background of this project. Mr. Roache asked when they were targeting ground breaking. Mr. Cox stated at the end of September. TABLED. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JULY 20, 2026 Accept donation from Merrimack Colleae in the amount of$225,000 to be used for Police and Fire Department equipment and training Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated this is going to help supplement some of the capital projects that were cut from the operating budget. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the school department had asked for in-kind donations and Merrimack is meeting with the Superintendent to discuss how they can help make those happen as well. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned Merrimack has also hosted the assessment centers for the Police and Fire departments. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated$100,000 will go to fire and$125,000 will go to the police. MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to accept the donation from Merrimack College in the amount of$225,000 to be used for Police and Fire Department equipment and training. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Master Plan Implementation Committee Progress Report Andrew Shapiro discussed the progress report. Mr. Shapiro stated the report discussed what has been going on since the beginning of the year. Mr. Shapiro summarized each action and development that has occurred. Mr. Shapiro stated the Town continues to address master plan strategies, and they only have seven strategies to examine further. Mr. Shapiro stated almost everything that has been outlined in the master plan has been addressed in some form. Mr. Shapiro stated they will be looking at developing the scope of work and a cost estimate for a new master plan to begin in the next couple of years. Mr. Kres asked how long a master plan typically lasts. Mr. Shapiro stated about 10 years. Mr. Roache mentioned browsing the Town website for the master plan to see where things stand. Continued discussion about China Blossom Proposal Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they have begun working on what public input would look like. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the development team has reconfigured the project. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they have gone down to 108 units from 124 units, and it will be one building instead of two. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated there were a lot of discussions about the traffic infrastructure concerns. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated there were discussions about the sewer capacities. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues displayed the development team's most recent design. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they would like to continue to keep this on the agenda so residents can come and speak during public comment if they would like. Mr. Shapiro mentioned the three-acre parcel associated with the site that will remain undisturbed. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the building will now have surface parking under it. Mr. Roache asked if this would make the building higher. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated no. Mr. Kres asked if the proposed restaurant was still being proposed. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes. Mr. Shapiro discussed the public outreach efforts they will do for this proposed project. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues suggested issuing these efforts when school goes back and residents are back into their routine. Mr. Roache asked if they could open now and leave it open through the fall. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they could do that or they could release the website and then release the survey in the fall. Ms. Bates asked if they could explore how they could reach the abutters. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated typically when mailing they do about 300 feet or direct abutters. Ms. Bates suggested reaching out to Sutton Street and Prescott Street neighbors. Mr. Roache asked if they can ask the developer to ensure a hard copy mail is sent to all of the abutters. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues suggested having DPW attend a meeting to discuss the drought, and potentially having the traffic consultant from Amazon attend a meeting to discuss the traffic analysis. Mr. Roache asked if there are any mitigations as a result of that traffic plan. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated there is a certain amount of money that is available to do remediation but not to the extent of which infrastructure work needs to be done. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JULY 20, 2026 Request of the North Andover Athletic Association to use Osgood Street, Stevens Street, Great Pond Road, Pleasant Street and Harkaway Road for a 5K Road Race on October 10, 2026 from 8:OOAM to 11:OOAM MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to approve the request of the North Andover Athletic Association to use Osgood Street, Stevens Street, Great Pond Road, Pleasant Street and Harkaway Road for a 5K Road Race on October 10, 2026 from 8:OOAM to 11:00AM. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Request of Neurofibromatosis Northeast to use Salem Street, Ingalls Street, Forest Street and Lacy Street for the annual Coast to the Cure ride on September 19, 2026 from 7:OOAM to 12:OOPM MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to approve the request of Neurofibromatosis Northeast to use Salem Street, Ingalls Street, Forest Street and Lacy Street for the annual Coast to the Cure ride on September 19, 2026 from 7:OOAM to 12:OOPM. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Appointments 1. Select Board 2026 reappointments to Boards and Committees Ms. Bates stated these were the remaining interviews that needed to be completed. Ms. Bates stated they received a lot of good feedback and the conversations were informative. Ms. Bates stated they will put the information into a document and share that. MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to approve the reappointments and dates of term expirations of Boards & Committee members as listed. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 4-0. 2. Confirm Town Manager reappointment of Peter Boynton to the Planning Board as a full member for one year Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues explained why it would only be a term of one year. MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to confirm the Town Manager's reappointment of Peter Boynton to the Planning Board as a full member with a term expiration of June 30, 2027. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. 3. Appoint Wendy Venti and Anthony Petronio as full members of the Council on Aa nq MOTION: Mr. Kres motioned to appoint Wendy Venti and Anthony Petronio as full members of the Council on Aging with term expirations of June 30, 2028. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 4-0. 4. Appoint Timm Carlson as an ex-officio member of the Festival Committee MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to appoint Timra Carlson as an ex-officio member of the Festival Committee. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. 5. Appoint Brianna Rizzari and Lauren Logan as full members of the Festival Committee MOTION: Mr. Kres motioned to appoint Brianna Rizzari and Lauren Logan as full members of the Festival Committee with term expirations of June 30, 2027. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 4-0. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JULY 20, 2026 Sign warrant for 2026 State Primary Election MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to sign the warrant for the 2026 State Primary Election. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Vote to surplus Assessor's Office vehicle -2014 Chevy Equinox MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to approve the request from the Assessor's Office to surplus the 2014 Chevy Equinox and sell it at auction. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Request of the Poet Laureate Committee to use the Town Common for a Picnics and Poetry Event on Friday, August 28, 2026 from 5:OOPM to 8:OOPM Mr. Kres recused himself. MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to approve the request of the Poet Laureate Committee to use the Town Common for a Picnics and Poetry Event on Friday, August 28, 2026 from 5:OOPM to 8:OOPM. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 3-1 recused. OUT OF ORDER: Request of the Festival Committee to use the Town Common to host a modified Summer Fitness Series MOTION: Ms. Bates motioned to approve the request from the Festival Committee to use the Town Common to host a modified Summer Fitness Series. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 3-1 recused. OUT OF ORDER: Request of the Stevens Memorial Library to use the Town Common for outdoor story times MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to approve the request of the Stevens Memorial Library to use the Town Common for outdoor story times. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 3-1 recused. Mr. Kres returned. Annual appointment of election workers MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to appoint, as of July 21, 2026, all election workers listed in the Town Clerk memo dated July 2, 2026. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. Accept donations from the Library Board of Trustees not to exceed $50,000 Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues explained the request. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the Library sometimes need to use a donation but are unable to because it has not been accepted by the Board. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they are asking the Board to annually accept blanket donations from the Library Board of Trustees and the Friends of the Library. Ms. Phillips asked if they could still hear about those donations. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes. MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to accept the donations from the Library Board of Trustees not to exceed $50,000 in a fiscal year in the aggregate. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 4-0. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JULY 20, 2026 Accept donations from the Friends of the Library not to exceed $50,000 MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to accept the donations from the Friends of the Library not to exceed $50,000 in a fiscal year in the aggregate. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 4-0. CONSENT ITEMS A. Accept donations in the amount of$725 to the Festival Committee for the Fireworks B. Accept donation from the Library Board of Trustees in the amount of$28,000 C. Accept donation in the amount of$50 from the North Andover Women's Club to the Library D. Accept donation in the amount of$750 from Mr. and Mrs. Peter Lafond to the Library MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to accept all consent items. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 4-0. APPROVAL OF OPEN SESSION MINUTES OF JUNE 15, 2026 and JUNE 25, 2026 MOTION: Ms. Bates motioned to approve the Open Session minutes of June 15, 2026 and June 25, 2026 as presented. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 4-0. SELECT BOARD UPDATES A. Board reorganization a. Appoint Chair MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to appoint Laura Bates as Chair of the Select Board. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 4-0. b. Appoint Vice Chair MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to appoint Janice Phillips as Vice Chair of the Select Board. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 4-0. c. Appoint Licensing Chair MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to appoint Brian Roache as Licensing Chair of the Select Board. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. d. Appoint Clerk MOTION: Ms. Phillips motioned to appoint David Kres as Clerk of the Select Board. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 4-0. e. Appoint Appointment Subcommittee MOTION: Mr. Roache motioned to appoint David Kres and Janice Phillips as the Appointment Subcommittee of the Select Board. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-0. TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned National Night Out on August 4. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned that Town Hall will close on August 4 from 2PM to 3PM for an employee event. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES JULY 20, 2026 that they have begun paving and have posted the paving schedule. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned that the RecPlex is underway. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned the design of the Youth Center has started. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues thanked DPW. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues congratulated Sergeants Barter, Jacques, and Logan and Lieutenant Enright and Staude on their promotions. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Ms. Bates made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Roache to adjourn the Select Board meeting at 8:20PM. Motion approved 4-0. Respectfully submitted, Nicole Civitarese Executive Assistant Brian Roache, Clerk of the Board Documents used at meeting Applications Report Memorandums Appointments Warrant Donations Minutes of 6/15/26 &6/25/26