City Council briefs 9/15/11
As published in the September 16, 2011 edition of The Keene Sentinel, and online.
Construction to begin on food co-op
Work is scheduled to start today at the future site of the Monadnock Community Marketplace, the planned downtown Keene food co-op that has been years in the making.
The Keene City Council voted Thursday night to grant permission to the Monadnock Economic Development Corp. -- the nonprofit organization working with co-op organizers to construct a building for the business -- to cover the building site in gravel in advance of construction planned for later this fall.
The builders plan to pile approximately 3 feet of gravel on top of the site to stabilize the underlying soil for footings and foundations, according to a letter from John G. Dugan, executive director of the development group, to the council.
Early hours for cart rejected by council
The Keene City Council backed stationary restaurants versus mobile eateries Thursday night.
The councilors voted 9-5 against a request from Kevin Schmelzer to open his Railroad Square hot dog stand at 7 a.m. daily to serve coffee and breakfast items.
Schmelzer, of Troy, has been working all summer to get "Schmelly's" up and running.
The cart will specialize in "Texas hot" dogs.
Schmelzer hopes to start operating next week, he said, and will be open at 8 a.m., the time allowed by his vendor's license, with coffee and breakfast sandwiches. He said he was a little disappointed by the council's decision but accepted their ruling.
"If that's the way they feel that's the way they feel," he said.
Councilors cited increased competition with existing restaurants that pay rent and property taxes downtown in denying the request.
Street vendors in Keene were intended to be casual "accessories to the ambiance of the downtown," rather than serious competition to brick-and mortar business, Councilor Mitchell H. Greenwald said.
Voting against allowing the earlier hours for the cart were: James T. Dunn, Cynthia C. Georgina, Greenwald, Kendall W. Lane, Janis O. Manwaring, Kris E. Roberts, Pamela Russell Slack, Nathaniel M. Stout and Ruth R. Venezia.
Voting to allow the cart to open early were: Terry M. Clark, June M. Donegan, James P. Duffy, Charles H. Redfern and David C. Richards.
Councilor Philip M. Jones was absent from the meeting.
The council also put off, at the suggestion of the planning, licenses and development committee, a request by Schmelzer to extend his hours to 2 a.m.
Community room named for Blastos
The Keene City Council voted unanimously to name the community room in the building at 350 Marlboro St. after former Mayor Michael E.J. Blastos, who held office during the time the building was bought and renovated by the city.
Blastos lives in Keene and owns The Pub Restaurant and Caterers on Winchester Street. He said this morning that he was proud and humbled by the gesture -- but a little surprised.
"It's kind of embarrassing, because I always advocated as mayor against naming buildings and whatnot after people who are still living," he said.
The movement to commemorate Blastos' years of public service started when Swanzey resident John Byrnes wrote to the council to suggest the entire building on Marlboro Street be named after the former mayor.
The council voted several months ago to renovate some of the space in the building as a community room to use as a polling place and to rent to community groups.
tagged with: 350 Marlboro St, downtown construction, food carts, Keene City Hall, Monadnock Community Market
<< Owner committed to keeping Kingsbury afloat SCARS REMAIN IN BRATTLEBORO >>