By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — Two longstanding businesses in town, Heav’nly Donuts at 68 Winter St., and Bobcat of Boston, 20 Concord St., received the necessary licenses to operate their respective businesses from the Select Board Monday night.
In the case of Heavn’ly Donuts, which has been shuttered for the passed few months, the board members were happy to see two familiar faces from the town’s business community step forward to take on this partnership as its new owners, Steven Correale Jr. of 49 Abbott Rd. and John E. Magazzu Jr. of 4 Deer Run Dr.
By a 5-0 vote of the board, a common victualler’s license was issued to Skweres, LLC, doing business as Heavn’ly Donuts. This is an annual license granted by calendar year so it will come up for renewal in December along with all the other license renewals in town.
They told the board that they hope to re-open by the end of next week. Correale also noted that “95 percent” of the prior staff will be returning to work there again. Interest is high in having the business get back up and running again as he noted that whenever they are onsite working on the building former customers drive into the lot to ask when they’ll be re-opening.
In the application process, all of the “life safety” issues identified by Building Commissioner Gerry Noel during his walk-through of the building on August 6 to complete the Certificate of Inspection were stated to be “manageable” for the new owners to address prior to issuance of the permit.
Noel flagged the following issues: “emergency back lights not operative, exit lights do not operate properly, slide bolts on doors must be removed, ceiling tiles with holes need to be replaced, faucet in kitchen is rusted with sharp edges and could cause lacerations, safety crash bollards must be replaced and flower pots moved off sidewalk (ADA issue).”
The food service permit also had not yet been issued by Health Inspector Robert Bracey when he issued his report to the Select Board on August 12. The Police Department requested that the trash contractor not empty the dumpster in the overnight hours prior to 7 a.m., per town bylaw. No other concerns were raised by other town inspectors.
Voting in favor of the license, subject to compliance with all regulatory department requirements, were Chairman Stephen O’Leary, Vice Chairman Rich Wallner and members Vincenzo Stuto, Nick Masse and Catherine Morrin.
BOBCAT OF BOSTON
A Class I motor vehicle sales license was transferred by the board to Bone Equipment, LLC, the new owner of Bobcat of Boston by a 4-0 vote with one abstention due to recusal. Chairman O’Leary announced at the outset of the meeting that he would be recusing himself from the discussion and the vote because a family member holds a Class II license in town.
He turned the gavel over to Vice Chairman Wallner.
Mike Blanchard of Concord, N.H., is the new owner and he told the board that he plans to run the business the same way it has always been run. The Bobcat dealership has been a fixture on Concord Street for nearly 50 years.
During the review of the application by the town’s department heads the only issue that was flagged concerned wetlands encroachment over the years. Conservation Agent Lydia Eldridge noted that her site visit on August 6 confirmed that there is material in the “12-foot no-disturb zone and I believe in the wetland itself. Satellite imagery show that the area used by the operations has spread over the last decade, especially in the southeast corner.” She added that an “enforcement action will be needed to bring the site into compliance with the town wetlands bylaw and WPA.”
Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto told the board that the Conservation Agent had returned to 20 Concord St. during the day on Monday, August 18 and noted that the encroachment she had flagged involved “a bit of expansion of parking area” but that they were “satisfied at this point” that it would be okay to grant the license. He noted that the Conservation Commission independently has the ability to follow up with them or pursue an enforcement order if it becomes necessary to do so.