SOUTHWICK – The Board of Selectmen voted against a Bring Your Own Bottle (BYOB) request this week and approved creating a policy against the practice.
Last week, a new business owner approached the board with the request, which they tabled until this week when all three board members were present.
Police Chief David Ricardi offered his thoughts via a letter and said if the board did not address the BYOB issue, it would be legal by default.
“We both told (the owner) BYOB wasn’t something we’re interested in for Southwick,” said Chairman Russell Fox.
Selectwoman Tracy Cesan asked if the rest of the board was completely against BYOB or if it wanted to have a policy that allowed for a limited amount of alcohol to be brought into an establishment.
Selectman Joseph Deedy said the board took a stance on alcohol last spring and he did not want to stray from that.
“We already took a position with Ocean State about booze in this town,” said Deedy.
Earlier this year, Ocean State Job Lot applied for a license to sell beer and wine in its College Highway store and was denied by the board, which stated that the needs of the town were being met. Ocean State now has pending litigation against the town over the decision.
Cesan told Deedy she was “fine” with that position and the board unanimously agreed it was against BYOB and would create a policy through Town Counsel Benjamin Coyle.
The board also approved the latest Liquor and Entertainment regulations this week, which were discussed during a brief public hearing Nov. 17.
With few questions or concerns from the audience, the Board of Selectmen closed the hearing on the new regulations, which Coyle said were “very similar to the ones enacted now.”
The biggest change is the requirement for all licensed establishments to participate in Training and Intervention Procedures for Servers (TIPS).
The regulations require the licensed manager and at least one employee be TIPS-certified and at work during all hours of operation. Both off-premise and on-premise TIPS certification is required. Off-premise is for managers or servers in stores that sell liquor, while on-premise is for those working in restaurants, bars, hotels and night clubs. Barbacks, bartenders, servers, managers and owners are included in the regulations.
Police Det. Robert Landis noted that all paperwork regarding employees and TIPS must be up-to-date and readily available at all times.
An updated roster must be submitted to the Board of Selectmen acting as the Liquor Commission, when submitting an annual application for license renewal. Amendments should be submitted when there are changes.
The board unanimously approved the regulations Monday night and they will take effect Jan. 1, 2015.
