Wakefield Select Board Approves Bar Licenses, Drops Old School Building Insurance

WAKEFIELD — March 9, 2026 — Wakefield Select Board votes unanimously on all 11 items, including a new all-alcohol license and a school building insurance change. The board approved a common victualer license, all-alcohol license, and five-television entertainment license for Howie's Bar and Vincent's Kitchen at its March 9 meeting, first making the required finding under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 138 Section 16C that the license would not harm a nearby church. On the fiscal year 2027 general insurance budget, members agreed to drop roughly $6,200 per month in coverage on the town's aging school building effective May, citing diminished returns from the policy given the building's loss history, while directing that coverage on the new school building begin in November to protect what one member called a "$200-plus million investment." The board also voted 6-0 to refer a stormwater management zoning bylaw article to the Planning Board ahead of the May 4, 2026 town meeting, appointed Drew Canoff to the Conservation Commission and David Frye to the Veteran Advisory Board, and accepted $570 in donations to the Beebe Memorial Library.