Still On Main owner gets event licenses despite previous controversy
PAWTUCKET – At the License Committee’s urging, the City Council unanimously approved (90) a pair of petitions for entertainment licenses on Wednesday night, despite the fact both were made by a Still On Main businessman who allegedly threw some illegal, after-hours parties with alcohol at different Main Street establishments in February.
During the Feb. 21 council meeting, the Board of License Commissioners voted to deny licenses to James Monteiro, co-owner of the Still On Main Pizzeria & Sport Bar, for a fundraiser on Feb. 23 and a 30th birthday party on Feb. 24.
That decision came in part due to Police Capt. Kenneth Dolan informing the board that Monteiro hadn’t applied for a liquor or entertainment license to conduct a DJ battle on Feb. 16. When the City Clerk’s Office reached out to Monteiro and no answer was forthcoming, the fire department got involved and conducted inspections, which revealed eight issues or deficiencies with 249 Main St.
However, Monteiro and any other event organizers decided to move the party down the street to another establishment that had no license for alcohol or entertainment. Apparently, Monteiro chose to move it back to 249 Main St., which was leased as an art gallery, because he didn’t want to wait for Leslie Moore, who owns numerous buildings downtown including Still On Main, to remedy those issues.
According to Council President Terry Mercer, that was just one of a string of illegal gatherings with alcohol that had been held in that area, and he was getting tired of it.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, and the License Committee – including Chair Marlena Martins Stachowiak, Yesenia Rubio and Neicy Coderre – decided to recommend for approval a pair of gatherings requested by Monteiro.
One was for an entertainment permit to hold a flower show at 249 Main St. between 8 p.m.-1 a.m. on Friday, March 15; and the other a comedy show slated for the same space between 6 – 11 p.m., on Wednesday, April 3.
According to Stachowiak, the flower show later was switched to an art gallery, and the new times were designated as 8-11 p.m.
“Those petitions for license were on the consent agenda, which means neither one involved alcohol,” she said. “James was just asking permission to hold the event, and we all approved to send it to the board. As for the after-hours drinking parties, Ms. Moore was very well-informed of what happened the previous two-plus weeks with her tenant.
“This License Committee meeting was just more of a discussion about going forward. Now there’s
no excuse, now you know what the laws are. We’re giving you the benefit of the doubt that you are newer business owners. We want to make it clear we want everybody to be on the same page, that all
of the businesses in Pawtucket have to abide by these state laws and city ordinances.
“That’s for the safety of not only their businesses but the patrons as well; it’s also to protect our resources, police and fire, in case anything were to happen. She came in already knowing about the mistakes that
were made.
“I’m hopeful going forward that everybody abides by those laws.” Mercer isn’t so sure. “Some of the lessees have been going around throwing illegal events and we’re trying to get those people under control,” he said. “They say they don’t know how to go about doing this the right way; well, that’s not the case. They absolutely, positively are holding illegal, unlicensed parties knowing full-well they shouldn’t be.”