Liquor license approval contingent on completed repairs

The board voice concern with Robert Hirsch, who is in the process of applying for a liquor license. The owner of Harvard Plaza on Ayer Road was the subject of a five-minute discussion because the board had not received a promised septic pumping schedule and documentation on Title 5 status on Harvard Plaza, the intended location of the liquor store. Member Jack Spero observed that the Board of Selectmen (BOS) would not approve the application “until all the repairs are made” in the parking lot. Chairman Tom Philippou described Hirsch as “highly motivated.”

Board considers its needs for records management

Board of Health member Lorin Johnson had attended a recent Board of Selectmen meeting to discuss the health board’s future space needs. He reported that, while some participants at that meeting had told selectmen about the need for more privacy and better access to files, he had replied, “Our records are right there and we have a table. We’re in good shape.”

Philippou urged the board to think proactively and remember it needs to consult with records that must be filed in the immediate vicinity. Paper archives cannot be stored in another location. The board, he said, must look to its future needs, and he proposed it begin to require electronic filing. “Once we get paper plans, we can file and stash them away. Then we can rely on the electronic version.” In the next few months the board will be asking homeowners and engineering consultants if such a form of filing represents a hardship.
 

—Kathy Bunnell