Photo: The initial meeting on the transfer of a full alcohol license.
The Belmont Board of Selectmen has rescheduled the continuance of a meeting on the proposed transfer of a full-liquor license, moving the date from Monday, Oct. 3 to Thursday, Oct. 6.
The move was necessitated after the board realized the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana begins at sundown on Oct. 2 and ends at nightfall on Oct. 4.
“We didn’t want to offend anyone, so that’s why we moved it up three days,” said Mark Paolillo, Selectmen chair at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Sept. 26.
It is expected the meeting, involving the request by Faud Mukarker, the owner of Brighton Road’s The Loading Dock, to transfer the business’ full alcohol license to the corporation that owns Star Market, which will use the license to place a 2,000 sq.-ft. beer/wine/liquor department in its Waverley Square store. The company would compensate Mukarker $400,000 for the loss of the license.
The initial meeting on Sept. 19 ended in acrimony as the Selectmen would not approve the transaction at the time to the dismay of Mukarker and his supporters.
It seems to me that the only one entitled to make any profit on a license is the town of Belmont. The granting of a license is a privilege granted to one business, which is often in competition with others to obtain the license, and it must be renewed each year, I believe. It does not belong to the grantee and I am surprised that is could be used as collateral.
why is it being transferred? is the business at loading dock not working out as well as planned? what will go in place of the loading dock?