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Date: 7/11/2023
HADLEY — The July 7 Select Board meeting again contained discussions concerning the Young Men’s Club of Hadley. Amid recent complaints from neighbors and other community members living near the club’s property, attorney Thomas Reidy, representing the club, addressed possible solutions and changes to the current licensing status for the club and its property.
Continuing the public hearing from the June 21 meeting, where issues of noise and crowds spilling over into the nearby residential areas before and after club events were brought before the board, the specific subject of alcohol consumption and how it is regulated was explored.
The club is host to a number of events annually including concerts, car shows and similar fundraising activities.
Reidy’s comments followed a meeting earlier in the day between club representatives, Select Board members and police and fire officials.
“We’ve heard everything that the public has said, we heard what the town has said, we understand the rules, we understand what the license requires,” he said. “I think what we’ll be doing is we’ll be going back to the drawing board and I suspect that we’ll be back in front of you for either a different license or different licenses.”
The concerns about event activity as well as the current licensing for the club have been topics on the agenda of the town’s Licensing Board and Select Board.
“We would request no changes, that the board doesn’t modify, revoke or rescind the existing club license and that we’re able to continue with that and then try to move through these other changes,” Reidy asked.
Board member Molly Keegan asked Reidy what that would mean going forward.
“I think it was clear from the last meeting, it was articulated what the violations, what the potential violations were of the club license so is this suggestion that you’re going to be, that the club is going to be fully compliant with their current licensing while you figure out a path forward or is the expectation that everything just continues as is,” Keegan said.
“We would be compliant with the parameters of the existing license,” Reidy said.
Amplifying his response, Reidy pointed to compliance with the current club premise restrictions and potentially the pursuit of an additional or one-day licenses for the adjacent club property.
A call for public comment pertaining specifically to the club’s license yielded no community response or reply.
The board passed a motion to continue the hearing on the club license issues until the Nov. 1 meeting.
An Oktoberfest event is currently planned at the club and pavilion for Oct. 14.