By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD – Soon you will have another store in Wakefield where you can purchase beer and wine. The Town Council last night voted to approve a beer and wine license for the Circle K convenience store, which operates in conjunction with the Irving gas station at 448 Salem St. in Montrose.
Representing Circle K in the license request were attorney Elizabeth Pisano and Wakefield Circle K store manager Nancy Bonugli.
Pisano noted that Circle K is a national chain of convenience stores, many of which have liquor licenses. She said that Bonugli, a Wakefield resident, is “TIPS” certified and would ensure that all employees at the store are TIPS certified. (The Massachusetts TIPS Certification Training is a program designed to educate individuals working in various businesses on responsible alcohol service.)
Town Councilor Douglas Butler asked about the hours of alcohol sales, given that Circle K is open 24-hours.
Bonugli said that the store would abide by state laws but the plan is to sell alcohol only up until 10 p.m. She said that beer and wine would be in its own section of the store which would be physically closed off at 10 p.m.
Councilor Edward Dombroski expressed concern that the request was coming from a multi-national corporation in which ownership is far removed from any local presence. He noted that the board normally sees the owners when they request a liquor license.
Pisano said that the corporate owners of Circle K take the sale of alcohol seriously and are very particular about requiring training for store staff. She added that Bonugli treats the store as if it were her own.
Councilor John Carney said that he thought granting the license would be unfair to the established liquor stores in town and would take business away from them.
Butler said that he doubted that a convenience store’s prices would be competitive with local liquor stores. He said that the board had renewed liquor licenses for other stores in town “with much shadier histories.”
Circle K already sells tobacco products and when asked if there had been any previous problems at the store, Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio said that there had not been any.
Town Councilor Jonathan Chines echoed the fact that there have been no issues with the store and said that he was in favor of granting the license.
Councilor Robert Vincent agreed, noting that despite its corporate ownership the store has maintained a “small town feel.”
But Dombroski worried that granting the license would mean that stores like Cumberland Farms, Shaw’s and Farmland could also apply to sell alcohol. He also objected of the proposed hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. for alcohol sales. He made a motion to approve the license with the hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the sale of beer and wine.
After no one seconded Dombroski’s motion, Chines made a motion to approve the license with the original hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. for alcohol sales. That motion passed by a vote of 5-2, with Dombroski and Carney opposed.