LONGMEADOW – A proposed change to the way the Eversource customer at 161 Forest Glen Dr. receives their electricity resulted in a strong opinions and more questions among the Longmeadow Select Board.

Eversource representative Karla Cacho explained to the board that the customer wanted more reliable service and to do this, the route of the electric lines would need to be changed. Currently, the power lines run from Bliss Road, underground through residential properties, to a pole at the rear of the customer’s property.

That pole, Cacho said, is overgrown with brush and trees. Rather than drive a bucket truck over neighbors’ lawns and cut the brush out to get close enough to work on the pole, Eversource proposed installing a new pole in front of the property and running the lines overhead from a pole across the street. Cacho said the change will also decrease outage times because it will be faster to access the new pole.

The cost of the change would be borne by the customer in question and Eversource. Neither the town nor other ratepayers would be affected financially.

Select Board member Thomas Lachiusa spoke against the change. He said that some of the “stately” homes on Forest Glen Drive are part of home tours through Longmeadow and he doesn’t support changes to “a very aesthetically beautiful part of our town.”

Select Board member Mark Gold commented, “I know it’s cheaper, I know it’s easier, but it’s not the character of Longmeadow.”

Cacho pointed out that there was already a pole on Forest Glen Drive, across the street from the proposed new pole.
    After a comment from Gold that Eversource doesn’t “want to do the work,” on the existing pole, Cacho reiterated the logistical difficulty of accessing the pole. She also pointed out that driving a bucket truck across lawns could result in property damage.
    Select Board Clerk Josh Levine asked to table the issue so that the board members can view the property and existing pole. Chair Marc Strange agreed. Cacho said she would set up a visit with the property owner and discussion was tabled.

One Way Brewing owners Jason Tsitso and Zach Schwartz sought the approval of the Select Board for a Farmers’ Series Pouring Permit, which would allow on-site consumption of their beer. One Way Brewing opened at 807 Maple Rd. in May. Since then, Tsitso said, “We’ve had a lot of requests for [on-site consumption]. It was our natural next step.”

The attorney representing One Way Brewing, Ryan O’Hara, explained that under the terms of the pouring permit, the brewery would only be able to sell the products that they make. The business produces three and a half barrels of beer per week. One barrel is approximately 31 gallons. While they don’t sell to liquor stores, they do have the option to sell to restaurants under their Farmers’ Series Brewing License.

Serving hours would be from 4 to 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. It would offer flights and full pours in addition to its canned products. Both owners are taking a Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) alcohol serving course and have secured a TIPS trainer for any future employees.

O’Hara said that Tsitso and Schwartz had proven to be responsible businessmen. Gold responded by pointing out that at least one location in town is found to have served a minor during each set of compliance checks.

Gold asked if the business will serve food or allow takeout from other businesses to be brought in. While the owners won’t be offering food, Tsitso said that there are restaurants on either side of the brewery and more in the immediate vicinity. “We will allow people to bring in slices of pizza. We won’t sell them that pizza, but they can bring it in.”

Lachiusa pointed out that the business would be the only one in Longmeadow to serve alcohol without food. He described it as Longmeadow’s first “saloon.” Tsitso pushed back on that description and reminded the board that their primary business is still manufacturing and canning beer. His vision for the pouring service is to have patrons, “stop in and have a beer or two before they go to dinner with their spouse or their friends.”

Lachiusa said that he would be more comfortable if there were a formal agreement between One Way Brewing and a neighboring restaurant or to have a food truck on the premises.

“I don’t know that we have the ability to require that,” Levine said, adding that a similar debate had been had in East Longmeadow around their first brewery with on-site consumption.

Levine asked about entertainment, but Tsitso told him that there isn’t room for more than a person with a guitar and it wasn’t really a part of the business’ plans.
    When it was stated that the brewery is a manufacturer and manufacturing isn’t allowed in Longmeadow, Schwartz said that the Zoning Board of Appeals had approved the business. He pointed out that baking bread is also manufacturing. O’Hara told the board that the Farmers’ Series provides an exemption from local zoning under MGL Chapter 40A, Section 3.

The pouring permit was approved.

On another topic, Gold told his fellow board members that there had been a change in the cost of recycling. He explained that when the latest contract was signed with the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Springfield in 2020, the town was paying $93 per ton of recyclable materials. Because of an increase in the desire for paper and cardboard recyclables, the town is now making $38.70 per ton in revenue. He encouraged residents to go back to “aggressive recycling.”

The Select Board met jointly with the Planning Board to fill a vacancy on the latter body. Residents Karl Petrick and Cheryl Thibodeau were interviewed for the position. Gold asked both candidates whether they preferred growth for the town or retaining its character. Petrick called it a “tricky thing” to balance between the two. Similarly, Thibodeau said, “We have to think critically about developing open space, which is at a premium.”