Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 12/21/2021
LUDLOW – With the town’s liquor licenses set to renew during the meeting, the Ludlow Board of Selectmen discussed a letter received from the owner of Turnpike Package Store asking for a license renewal as she works through tax issues left behind by the previous owner.
Board Chair William Rosenblum said the store’s owner, Tracey Blair, has done everything asked of her as she tries to recover from years of tax issues.
“The amount of work and what she has found that is backed up on this almost 10 years of non-filing of taxes because of the past owner. She did not know that, and she is rectifying it, I believe she has everything in order and is just waiting for the last filings to be completed,” he said.
Town Administrator Ellie Villano said Blair is close to receiving a letter of good standing from the state for the work she has done with the Department of Revenue (DOR).
“She has been working diligently with the DOR and it is my understanding they have accepted all the tax returns and they have come to an agreement. She is current on everything, she worked with a forensic accountant and an attorney and she is close to getting a letter of good standing from the Secretary of State,” she said.
Were the license to expire, Villano said it would be difficult for the town to determine what to do with the alcohol on site.
“I have explained the town does not want to take the license because then the town would have to figure out what to do with the alcohol and get special permitting to destroy it,” she said.
Villano added that Blair is looking to sell the property and transfer the license, which is why she was asking for the renewal and if the license expired, she would be required to apply for a new license to transfer.
Board member Derek DeBarge said he was in favor of extending the license.
“We are the governing body when it comes to this, there are special circumstances to this situation to where I would vote to extend it simply because she has done so much to try to rectify so many problems. I have a lot of respect for the work that Tracey has done over this with the hand she got dealt,” he said.
“I think it is my responsibility to help her with that with the work that she has done.”
While board member Manuel Silva said he was concerned about how the state would respond to extending the license, Villano said Blair has been in direct contact with the state throughout the process.
“I am sure there may come a time when the state is not going to be satisfied and I think knowing everything she is doing and the extraordinary amount of communication she is having with the state, I think they are well aware of where she is,” she said.
Ultimately the board agreed to file the letter from Blair and approved the renewal with the rest of the town’s licenses later in the meeting.
As part of the ongoing discussion about what to do with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds the town will be receiving, the board agreed to include potential pickleball courts at Whitney Park in the discussion, and board member James Gennette said he was in favor of the idea.
“Those courts over there on Whitney Street – I am not sure how active they are, I do not think they are as active as the high school courts are, I think a lot of people prefer to go over to the high school courts – the goal is to give back to the community,” he said.
During the meeting, the committee unanimously agreed to name the members of the Town Administrator Search Committee and opened the warrant for departments to send in articles for Town Meeting, with a deadline of Feb. 11. The board also approved all liquor licenses, common victualler’s licenses and entertainment licenses for 2022.
The Ludlow Board of Selectmen next met on Dec. 21 and coverage of that meeting will appear in the Dec. 30 edition of The Reminder.