Great Barrington — After a brief public hearing, the Selectboard approved a liquor license transfer from Mod Inc. (AKA Dare Bottleshop and Provisions) to Taft Farms.
In March, Lenox-based liquor store Dare Bottleshop and Provisions opened a second location in town at 28 Railroad Street; however, the location did not last long, and owners Mary and Benjamin Daire decided to close it towards the end of August.
Taft Farms Market, located at 119 Park Street, applied to the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission for a license transfer on October 31. According to documents presented at the hearing, Taft Farms paid Mod Inc. $40,000 for the license.
Taft Farms CEO Paul Tawczynski, son of company owner Daniel Tawczynski, represented the company at the January 13 hearing. “Over the past five years, we’ve made several major renovations and expanded the offerings in the store,” Tawczynski said. “We were approached by Mary Daire after the Price Chopper permit [approval] of last year.”
Tawczynski was referring to the Selectboard’s approval of a liquor license for Price Chopper in December 2023 after the company’s two previous failed application attempts.
“We were actually on the waiting list for that permit,” Tawczynski said. “[Dare] officially closed in December of this year, but [Mary Daire] approached us in August offering us the license. What we want to do is not expand into a liquor store or become anything major. What we’d like to do is offer farm-made products, whether it be local or organic, specifically farm-made beer, wine, and ciders to highlight further what agriculture has to offer as far as the alcohol industry is concerned. The question we get asked all season long is do you sell wine? Do you sell beer? We’ve got a very large Tanglewood crowd, and people just want to make one stop and head into town.”
When Selectboard Chair Stephen Bannon asked for public comment, he received no response.
When asked by Bannon, Selectboard member Garfield Reed, who is an employee of the Plaza Package Store on State Road, did not recuse himself from the decision on the liquor license. Reed had previously recused himself from Selectboard deliberations on the liquor license for Price Chopper.
The Selectboard eventually unanimously approved the liquor license transfer.
Click here for documents pertaining to the liquor license transfer (PDF file).
In other business
During public comment, several residents criticized the Selectboard for real estate tax bills, including resident Charles Williamson. “I am the first generation of immigrants that came to this country,” Williamson said. “My parents had no handouts. Everything they got they worked for. My taxes just went up 12.2 percent from last year. What you are doing is you are hurting the older people that live here, the locals. I’m not ready to leave, but if I could, I would. We know that we have three bad bridges in town, and they’re going to be $20 million [to repair] each, so we know our taxes are not going down.”
Williamson proceeded to make xenophobic comments similar to ones he made during the May 2024 Annual Town Meeting. “I’ve asked on Zoom meetings, and I’ve asked at the end of the town meeting: I would like to get something in writing from the town, from the Finance Department, what are we paying in this sanctuary town for illegals to be here on room, board, clothing, whatever you want to figure out,” Williamson said. “I also would like to know how many students we are paying for. The town is [paying] $25,000 per student to educate at our school. What do we pay for that on illegals?”
“Just to correct, the town isn’t paying anything,” Bannon, who is also the chair of the Berkshire Hills Regional School Committee, told Williamson. “I would ask [District Superintendent Peter Dillon] that question. The town is not paying anything.”
Housatonic resident Jim Bailly also criticized the Selectboard over real estate taxes but specifically targeted the Community Preservation Act (CPA), which was adopted by the town at an annual town meeting and ballot vote back in 2012. The CPA is a voluntary state law that, over the years, has allowed the town to fund various projects involving affordable housing, historic preservation, and open-space preservation. It is funded by a three percent property tax surcharge on the value of residential and commercial properties above the first $100,000 of assessed value.
Bailly said he is against the CPA surcharge and wants the town to end the program. “Let’s say the average CPA tax—because that’s what it is—on the average tax bill is $500,” Bailly said. “$500 out of each and every residence. Charlie just explained that he’s in a tough position because taxes just keep going up. If we remove that $500, that’s $500 that people can use towards a fuel bill and electric bills. We’re using $500 to fuel people’s little pet projects, and I include affordable housing in pet projects. That is nothing but a waste of taxpayer’s money. If you want to help the people afford to live here, remove the CPA.”
Michelle Loubert was the last person at the meeting to criticize both real estate taxes and the CPA. “I just got my tax bill as well, and it went up a few hundred dollars for the first quarter,” Loubert said. “I’m nearing retirement age, so I’m looking at Social Security. I spent half of my career in the private sector and the other half in the public sector, and it doesn’t look good. There’s no way I can retire right now.”
Loubert added that “the town does have to get a grip on its spending.” “Your budget season is coming up, and a bone of contention with me is the CPA,” Loubert said. “I don’t like what I’m seeing with it. It’s a tax on a tax. Additionally, and I’m going to be blunt about it, you’re giving tax dollars to active church congregations. I don’t like that as well.”