New Liquor License
Listen to this articleREADING, MA — By a vote of 5-0, the Select Board approved an all-alcohol restaurant liquor license for Parc Restaurant Group on Tuesday. Parc intends to open a steakhouse-stye restaurant at 136 Haven Street in the Postmark building.
Reading resident Jason Carron, the restaurant proprietor, shared that the new steakhouse will be called Post 1917, referencing the former use of the site as a post office and the date listed on the post office’s architectural plans. Carron continued informing the board that he intends to open in March or April this spring.
“We love people who are Reading residents and Reading business owners,” member Mark Dockser said.
Select Board member Karen Herrick offered a proposal to condition the license approval on Carron receiving his certificate of occupancy. Herrick indicated her reasoning being that the former group developing the space “tied up” the license for a couple of years while never working to open their restaurant. The town has a limited number of licenses available to grant.
Select Board member Christopher Haley stated that he would have agreed with Herrick six months ago but that he has seen work advancing in the building and that he has “the utmost faith” that the restaurant will open. Carron also reassured the board of his intentions, “We are going to be occupied, I can guarantee that,” Carron declared.
The board granted the approval without the suggested condition.
Council on Aging
Nancy Ziemlak updated the board on the activities of the Council on Aging. “Reading is getting older,” Ziemlak shared as she referenced recent studies on the demographics of the town. She continued to share that it is expected that the population aged sixty-plus in town will increase by 29% by 2030.
Zeimlak reported that there had been a 21% increase in the number of people participating in programs and using services during a five-month period at the end of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022. During that same period, there was a 100% increase in the number of programs and services.
She continued, sharing the Council’s belief that a better senior space is needed in town. “We feel strongly that there is a need for a new and renovated senior center for the population,” Zeimlak reported. She added that the current Pleasant Street Center is too small, has accessibility issues, has no space for staff to conduct business in private, and has safety concerns.
For 2024, the council has several priorities, including continuing to work with the town to support a new senior center, optimizing the use of trust funds, and continuing to advocate for the needs of the senior community. The council plans on working with the Friends of the Sixty Plus in town to help fundraise for senior programs.
After the presentation, the Select Board adjourned to executive session at 8:10 pm to vote on negotiated union contracts.
