The owners of the new Inn on Shipyard Park (Kinsale Inn) received a less than warm welcome from a group of neighboring and concerned residents at the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, March 13. Nills Johnson and Andrea Perry, the owners of the new establishment, originally attended the meeting to transfer the name on the liquor license from the Kinsale Inn to the Inn on Shipyard Park, however they ended up fielding questions for nearly an hour from residents concerned about the noise level generated by the entertainment and patrons of the bar.
“We’re trying to protect our property,” said Maureen Butler, whose property abuts the establishment. “We shouldn’t be victims of one establishment.”
Butler’s concerns and questions stem from the noise levels that are coming from outside the bar as patrons are leaving when the bar closes. According to the license that was issued to the establishment, patrons must leave the bar by 11 p.m. during the week and 1 a.m. on the weekends.
Deanne Girouard, owner of the Mattapoisett Inn, also voiced concerns that bar guests are leaving beer cans in her bushes, as well as discarded cigarettes, which she claims set her porch on fire last year.
The Selectmen agreed that there have been more problems with noise in recent years given the number of management changes the inn has seen, however they also suggested giving the new owners a chance before ruling them out.
“It’s easy to blame a single source of differentiation in a given area,” said Selectman Tyler Macallister.
“It’s not going to be perfect,” said Selectmen Chair Paul Silva. “Give them a chance.”
Selectman Jordan Collyer proposed to let the new owners settle in with the current license and reevaluate the situation in a few months. If there continues to be a problem with noise, the Board can add conditions to the license that would include a noise ordinance.
“The important thing is to listen to concerns and understand the consideration of the neighbors,” Collyer said.
If anyone knows the Mattapoisett community, it’s Johnson, who was born and raised in the community and worked at the old Mattapoisett Inn when he was in high school. Now, after spending nearly ten years in Cambridge running a bar, his goal is to own the current Kinsale Inn building and transform it into something new while bringing it back to its roots.
“I just want the building to be relevant again,” said Johnson.
Johnson plans to completely revamp the menu, steering away from traditional Irish fare and introducing a menu that is centralized more on American fusion cuisine. He still plans to keep the same genres of entertainment; however he is open to exploring more options.
“It’s a big improvement,” said Collyer.
The Board approved the changing of the name on the liquor license. Johnson and Perry now await license approval from the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. If approved in a timely manner, the two hope to begin their new lease on May 1. An entertainment license hearing will be held at the end of April.
In other news, Harbormaster Horace Field presented a letter to the Board that he issued to Robert Taylor outlining the new criteria Taylor will have to abide by for his aquaculture. At the Selectmen’s meeting on February 28, several issues were brought to Taylor’s attention by both Field and the Board showing that the majority of buoys and markers around Taylor’s 100-acre aquaculture area were inadequate and unsafe.
Under the new rules, the four major buoys that are located in the corners of Taylor’s area must have lights and must be visible from at least 2 nautical miles away. The lights need to flash every 2.5 seconds. Each of the corners must be connected by perimeter buoys, which must be 75 yards apart, white and have reflective tape. The entry buoys must be red and green and at least 24 inches in diameter.
Field said it is Taylor’s responsibility to make sure these buoys and markers are working, and that as the Harbormaster he will make periodic checks to make sure everything is in order. If a defect is found, Taylor will have five days to fix it before further disciplinary action is taken. Field told the Board that Taylor has until May 1 to fulfill these obligations and that they are nonnegotiable.
The final plans for the North Street Reconstruction project should be in place by the end of the week. The process would implement a set of drainage pipes along North Street from Church Street, beyond Captain’s Way to the South side of Water Street.
The pipes will handle the first initial storm water that passes through, ultimately depositing it to be cleaned in a bleaching area that will be located in a beach area parking lot. This new process will help to reduce flooding along these routes, and the pre-treatment bleaching unit will help to clean water and help prevent contamination. The beach portion of the project could be started as soon as April 1 so it can be completed by the start of beach season. The entire project, however, will take the majority of the summer to complete.
The Marine Advisory Board met with the Selectmen for their bi-annual meeting. The Selectmen presented a new set of rules and regulations that would change the annual votes for officers. Each member of the board must sign off on the new rules by the next Selectmen’s meeting on March 27.
The Marine Advisory Board also gave an update on the ongoing regridding project. Both the Selectmen and Marine Advisory Board agreed it is taking longer than expected.
“We are three years behind where we thought we would be five years ago,” said Collyer.
A new launch service for Mattapoisett Harbor will be proposed at the next meeting on March 27. The Marine Advisory Board will be interviewing two companies that are interested in starting a launching service. A tentative date for interviewing has been set for March 21.
The Mattapoisett Library requested permission to serve alcohol as part of the April 3 edition of their Cooks and Books program. The library proposed that Trivesa Wines would be on site to provide short tastes to guests, and assures that there will not be a free-flow of fine, nor will it be self-service. The Selectmen, showing no initial opposition, agreed to vote on the proposal on March 27.
The Selectmen agreed to allow Bruce Mello every other Wednesday from May to the end of September to hold his Car Shows at Village Scoops.
More local meetings will be added to local programming after new equipment is installed this week to the TV station. In addition to the present coverage, the Selectmen are hoping to add Water and Sever Commission, Board of Health, Zoning Board of Appeals and Library meetings. The selectmen also said a greater on-demand library will be available online for residents if they are not able to watch the meetings on TV.
The Board of Selectmen will meet again on Tuesday, March 27 at Mattapoisett Town Hall at 7:00 pm.
By Katy Fitzpatrick