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Date: 2/21/2023
CHICOPEE — A proposed change to the city’s code could prohibit the sale of alcohol nip bottles across Chicopee. Ward 9 City Councilor Mary-Elizabeth Pniak-Costello and Ward 6 City Councilor Derek Dobosz discussed their proposal during the council’s Feb. 7 meeting.
The subject will go to the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing before returning to the full council for a final vote. The License Commission will also review the order in a public hearing.
Pniak-Costello shared that the order was proposed for several reasons. She said many residents in her ward expressed concern to her about the excessive littering of nip bottles across city streets.
“There is a tremendous problem with trash. Many of my residents have voiced concern about trash,” said Pniak-Costello.
Pniak-Costello also emphasized the public safety concern around nip bottles. A serving of one or multiple nip bottles, which contains a 50 milliliter or less serving of alcohol, could cause a driver to become intoxicated.
“If you drink enough nips, you might be at a .016 [blood alcohol level] … You certainly don’t want to drive [then] because your mind may not be clear,” said Pniak-Costello.
Other communities in Massachusetts, such as Chelsea, Newton and Wareham, have already banned nip bottles from liquor store inventories. Some cities, like Boston, have mandates in place that limit the amount of nip sales that can occur.
Pniak-Costello stressed that the ban could be a good starting point in addressing litter and public safety issues in Chicopee — both of which have been lingering problems. Mayor John Vieau is implementing a Clean City Initiative to address the city’s sanitary conditions. He also continues to work with the Police Department and DPW to improve road safety following 10 roadway deaths in Chicopee during 2022.
“This could be a start of our more aggressive movements,” said Pniak-Costello.
Dobosz noted the extensive litter caused by discarded nip bottles. He shared that he often sees littered bottle throughout his ward.
“There’s nip bottles everywhere. The litter is everywhere. It’s all over Burnett Road, it’s over Moreau Drive, I find them at Litwin [Elementary School] and Williams Park … This is a common complaint,” said Dobosz.
Dobosz said limiting nip bottle sales would also be agreeable to him if the council opted against a full ban.
The council aired mixed sentiments on the proposal. Ward 4 City Councilor George Balakier supported the measure as an effective measure for curbing litter.
“I think this is a great idea. There is way too much litter in the city. It is really disgusting,” said Balakier.
Ward 1 City Councilor Joel McAuliffe said there are more productive ways of addressing litter issues than banning nip bottles.
“Yes, there is litter, but I believe the people of Chicopee can make decisions for themselves. We don’t need to ban nip bottles, we need to deal with the litter … Outright banning it because someone does not like it seems like an idiotic response,” said McAuliffe.
City Councilor At-Large Robert Zygarowski asked if the proposal would be effective if residents can simply travel to neighboring towns to purchase nips. Dobosz said he has spoken to members of the Springfield City Council and mentioned there’s potentially “some appetite” to consider a similar ban there.
“I would hope that some of our surrounding communities try to pass this also,” said Zygarowski.
Ward 7 City Councilor William Courchesne requested that all liquor license holders in Chicopee be notified about the upcoming meetings. He said the ban could impact many of their business’ livelihood and cost them “thousands of dollars.”
The City Council approved sending the items to committee in a unanimous vote.