Wakefield Town Council Notes - March 9, 2026

Here's what we covered at our Town Council meeting on Monday, March 9:

• The Town Council approved a liquor license, restaurant license, and entertainment license for Howie's Bar and Vincent's Kitchen at 963 Main Street in Greenwood. The restaurant expects to open in two months.

• The Council declared this week as The Scholarship Foundation of Wakefield Annual Appeal week. Over its 65 year history, The Scholarship Foundation has awarded more than 13,000 scholarships to Wakefield students totaling $18 million, including 273 scholarships last year. To support this incredible cause, please visit tsfofwakefield.org.

• We approved Fiscal Year 2027 budgets for general insurance, worker's compensation, the Wakefield Fire Department, the Conservation Commission, the Emergency Management department, the Human Resources department, and the Accounting department. These budgets total $9.9 million, or about 9% of Wakefield's total budget, and are projected to increase by 4.1%. Among the drivers of the increase are contractual salary increases, expanded human resources training for Town staff, and increased insurance costs due to the expected completion of the new Wakefield Memorial High School building this coming winter. Balancing out these cost increases, worker's compensation insurance will decrease by 25% due to reduced claims costs in the last two years.

• The Council referred a set of proposed changes to Wakefield's stormwater management bylaw to the Planning Board for a public hearing prior to the May Town Meeting. The changes are intended to bring Wakefield into compliance with federal stormwater regulations, and streamline some existing permitting processes.

• The Economic Development Council provided an update on the spending of the $1 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated by the Town Council for economic development initiatives. Approximately half of the funds have been spent so far, with the remaining funds expected to be spent by the December 31, 2026 federal deadline. Among the initiatives funded are Wakefield's Sign and Façade renovation program, Project Pop-Up on North Avenue, and a small business education series.

• The Town Council approved minor updates to Wakefield's Asset Naming Policy, appointed Drew Kanouff to the Conservation Commission, and David Frey to the Veterans Advisory Board. We also approved proclamations recognizing Holocaust Memorial Week and Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month.

Our next meeting will be Monday, March 23 starting at 7:00 PM. As always, we'll be meeting in-studio at Wakefield Community Access TV and on Zoom, and the public is invited to join us.