LUDLOW — Several new businesses came to the Board of Selectmen for licenses on Aug. 6.
Barburrito, 319 East St., was approved for a beer and wine license. This was the second time in front of the board for Bill Collins, one of the owners of the taqueria. He had been given an incomplete list of abutters by the town. At the July 9 meeting, he was told he needed to notify additional individuals of the public hearing or run afoul of state regulations.
With all abutters notified, Collins was again before the board. Abutter Maria Dias expressed concerns about people drinking at the restaurant and being loud outside. Collins assured her that the business was not a “nightclub” and there would be no one allowed outside the restaurant with alcohol. Dias also said she had complained to the Health Department because a garage on the property had not been maintained and had trash outside. Collins explained he was not the property owner but had been told that the owner was evicting the business that leased the garage.\
Another restaurant, The Pizza Corner at 70 East St., also sought an alcohol license. The former owner, Charles Perrakis, had previously sold the business to another party, but they were unable to obtain an alcohol license due to not being United States citizens. Kul Sarki of KB Ventures LLC purchased the business from those individuals. Perrakis came to the meeting with Sarki.
Sarki is a first-time business owner, although he said he has experience working in the restaurant industry. He said he was not yet certified in TIPS, a course on how to legally serve alcohol. Selectmen Anthony Goncalves told him he would need to complete that training to obtain license approval from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.
There was some uncertainty about whether Sarki, who plans to change the business’s name from The Pizza Corner to The Pizza Corner & Curry House, would need to file new applications with the new business name. To avoid the need to go through the process a second time, the item was continued to a future meeting so Sarki could correct the paperwork.
Like Collins, Francis Frederico had been before the board on July 9 with abutters notification issues. Frederico was seeking a license to reopen, Sewall Street Auto Center at 330 Sewall St. He had previously operated in the same location, before shuttering the business five years ago. Two abutters had stated grievances about the businesses in operation at the site, although there seemed to be some confusion over whether the complaints were due to Frederico’s former business or others that operated on the property.Frederico stated he intended to sell five cars at a time from the property, although two or three others may be parked at the rear of the site while awaiting detailing by one of the other businesses on the property. He would not be operating an auto repair or autobody shop from the site, nor would he be painting the vehicles, he told the board. The license was approved.
