Politics & Government
Wakefield Town Council Notes -- November 18, 2024
A summary of Wakefield's Town Council meeting on November 18, 2024, from Town Councilor Jonathan Chines
Here's what we covered at our Town Council meeting on Monday, November 18:
- The owners of the former Ristorante Molise building at 460-472 Main Street gave an update on their efforts to renovate the building. Their proposal for a mixed use building with 6 retail units and 16 residential units was approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals in February. They are completing a structural engineering evaluation of the building, and expect to apply for a building permit before the end of the year. Once the permit is received, they anticipate that construction will take about 18 months. The Town Council expressed its disappointment at the amount of time that the building has sat vacant, and asked for more frequent updates on construction progress until the renovation is completed.
- The Town Council approved a request from Councilor Vincent to fly the Americal Division, Pride Progress, and Juneteenth flags at the second flagpole at the Americal Civic Center on specified days in 2025. Councilor Vincent's flag request is consistent with how these flags were displayed at the Americal over the past year, and it was endorsed by the chairs of the Veterans Advisory Board and the Human Rights Commission.
- The Council was informed that the board of Wakefield's Affordable Housing Trust allocated $15,000 to join a Regional Housing Office with six other communities to better support Wakefield residents with housing issues. The Town Administrator will work with the Affordable Housing Trust board and the other communities involved to draft a contract for these services.
- We approved a used car dealer license for AK Motors on Water Street, subject to conditions on landscaping, lighting, and signage. We also approved three one-day liquor licenses for various events in December and January.
Our next Town Council meeting will be on Monday, December 16 at 7:00 PM on Zoom and Wakefield Community Access Television. Best wishes to everyone in our community for a happy Thanksgiving next week!
