Chelsea licensing panel continues disciplinary hearing for EZ/Easy Mart over camera, signage compliance

The Chelsea Licensing Commission continued a disciplinary hearing Oct. 10 over the off-premise wine and malt license for Palmer Food and Fuel LLC, which does business as Easy/EZ Mart at 177 Washington Ave, after police said some compliance problems had been corrected but full verification of continuous 30-day video retention remained pending.

Officer Nicole McLaughlin of the Chelsea Police Department told the commission that licensing notices and other required rules were present on the premises but "they were just not in plain sight," and that pricing for liquor had initially lacked posted prices but had since been corrected. She said the location’s camera system "has been fully upgraded" to a proper hard drive but that, because the upgrade was recent, she "could not testify that it was holding 30 days worth of video" and would return to verify the system’s continuous retention.

The commission earlier described a May compliance check and a June follow-up that found several violations; McLaughlin said a subsequent inspection identified fixes to posted licensing rules and pricing but that video playback needed further confirmation. Commissioners emphasized they require a continuous 30-day rolling archive — meaning an inspector should be able to view any given day in a full 30-day window (for example, viewing Aug. 1 on Sept. 1) rather than a system that resets and deletes earlier footage monthly.

Owner Fahad acknowledged the violations, described multiple attempts by his contractor to replace DVR equipment and said staff had been shown how to retrieve clips. "I would do whatever it takes," he told the commission, and he repeatedly apologized for the delays. He also said he had called the police department to keep officers updated and committed to checking playback daily and training employees to show footage on request.

Commissioners pressed Fahad on why fixes were not completed sooner and said they were frustrated that police and commission time had been used without verification. The commission directed Fahad to ensure employees are trained to grant police access to footage, to maintain continuous playback, and to use written communications (email) when unable to reach police by phone.

Given the recent timing of the upgrade and the need for police to confirm uninterrupted 30-day retention and receive written verification, the commission voted by voice to continue the disciplinary hearing to the December meeting. The chair said police confirmation, not the owner's assurance, will be required before the commission will consider closing the matter.

The commission also handled routine business at the Oct. 10 meeting, including approval of August and September minutes and a clerk’s report that licensing-renewal notices were sent for amusement/entertainment, victualler and liquor licenses, with renewals due Nov. 30.