HADLEY — A revised club license for the Hadley Young Men’s Club that will limit where alcohol can be consumed on the East Street property, as well as allow one-day liquor licenses for major events staged there, are expected to be sought from the Select Board.
Tom Reidy, an attorney with Bacon Wilson P.C. of Amherst, told the Select Board last week, at a continuation of a hearing for possible violations of state alcohol regulations that began in the spring, that the request for a revised license comes following discussions with the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, Town Administrator Carolyn Brennan and Licensing Coordinator Jennifer Sanders James.
“The solution has turned out to be an alteration of the premise,” Reidy said.
Under this scenario, the club license would allow alcohol consumption on the northwest side of the property where the building is, with a submitted application for alteration of the premises that will be discussed at a future meeting. The Select Board is expected to set that for Dec. 6, giving time to notify abutters.
Reidy said that the revised license would eliminate any issues with the the clubhouse and the deck.
The second part of the proposed solution is having the ability under state law, Chapter 138, Section 14, to apply for one-day alcohol licenses on the balance of the property. Those would be sought for three annual events, Springfest and Ocktoberfest, five-hour festivals in which between 1,500 and 2,500 area college students 21 and over can buy tickets to an event with performers; and Country in the Country, a daylong country concert open to the public, with conditions that would be set by the Select Board based on recommendations from town public safety departments.
Select Board member Randy Izer cautioned that while the board can grant the one-day licenses, there will be questions raised over the scale of the events.
The board closed the original hearing without a finding on any possible violations from last spring. The board could have modified, suspended, revoked or rescinded the club’s license. That hearing began after the Select Board was informed that the club may have been out of compliance with both town zoning and state alcohol regulations after holding the Grass is Greener festival in the spring.
That festival brought numerous complaints to Town Hall about loud noise and disturbances in the neighborhood.
Because of the ongoing discussion, the club was unable to have Oktoberfest 2023 on site. That event, held since 2015, was moved to the Three County Fairgrounds in Northampton.
Weekly car shows, though, continued, but any alcohol consumed on site had to be done at the clubhouse, either by members or their invited guests.