Dedham Officials to Hold Meeting on Town Meeting Warrant Article 28

Image via motherbrookarts.org

The Mother Brook Arts and Community Center and Mother Brook Community Group are planning to co-host an upcoming community meeting to discuss a Fall Town Meeting article that focuses on granting a non-transferable liquor license to a restaurant operator looking to open in what was formerly the Avery School library at the MBACC, officials from both nonprofit groups announced this week.

The meeting which is open to the public, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., at the MBACC, 123 High St.

The article in question is Town Meeting Warrant Article 28, which is sponsored by three MBACC board members, and would allow the town to seek approval from the state level to issue a liquor license to a restaurateur selected by MBACC to operate in the old Avery School library.

“We offer this article in keeping with our promise to the town to create a self-sustaining business model for the center, and, just as importantly, to fulfill our promise to the neighborhood to provide an anchor its economic revitalization efforts,” MBACC Chair Robert Miller said in a statement. “Our research shows that one of the keys to attracting a high-quality restaurateur is to provide them with the option of applying for a liquor license.”

The article, he emphasized, aims to strictly limit the issuance of any such license by the Dedham Board of Selectmen to a restaurant located at the MBACC and would prohibit the transfer or use of the license for any other purpose or at any other location.

The MBCG, meanwhile, voted last week to endorse the article following a presentation to the MBACC board.

Said MBCG Chair Joe Heisler, “We need a good, high-quality restaurant in East Dedham. This is in keeping with our goal to draw in new businesses and new people willing to invest in our neighborhood, hire our residents and help to improve the overall quality of life here.”

Heisler said MBCG recognized concerns regarding the proposal and that the community meeting next week is meant to address them.

“We encourage anyone with questions about the article and its potential impact on the neighborhood to attend this meeting,” he said.

Dedham’s Fall Town Meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at Dedham High School.

For more information on Article 28 and the full Town Meeting Warrant, click here.