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License board tables Upper Deck Baseball Academy’s full-liquor request, asks for menu and safety details
Summary
The Board of License Commissioners opened a public hearing on Upper Deck Baseball Academy’s Class B & T liquor application for a 25,000 sq. ft. expansion and voted to table the request after finding the application omitted a required menu and raising concerns about serving hard liquor in a youth-oriented training facility.
The Cumberland Board of License Commissioners opened a public hearing on an application from Upper Deck Baseball Academy LLC for a Class B & T (full liquor) nontransferable license for space at 75 John C Dean Memorial Boulevard and voted to table the application to the next meeting for additional information.
Applicant Dean told the board the business has operated since 2001 and plans to expand into about 25,000 square feet of adjacent space to add training areas and an enclosed parent area where limited snack service would be available. "It's just gonna be, like, popcorn, hot dogs, pizza, you know, air fryer type situation," Dean said, describing the food offering as light, not a full kitchen. Jeff Lyons, whom Dean identified as the facility operator, said the concept was intended primarily to provide beer and wine for parents who wait while children practice.
The board flagged two issues. Members said the license packet lacked a finalized menu — a required element for a B&T/full-liquor application — and solicitors noted state licensing rules carry a higher food‑service expectation for full-liquor licenses, including minimum thresholds for food sales. The solicitor noted the regulatory standard that sales above a certain level must be food rather than beverage. Several commissioners also expressed discomfort with permitting hard liquor in a facility that serves children; one commissioner said, "I have a thing when it comes to the hard liquor ... I'm gonna be a no to the BNT." The applicant responded that he intends to pursue beer-and-wine if that were the board’s preference.
After discussion about options — approval, denial or tabling — the board decided to table the application so the applicant can provide the required menu and clarify operations and safety measures (including signage and a separate entrance to the enclosed bar area). The motion to table was made by Commissioner Kinch, seconded by Commissioner McGill and carried by voice vote, 7–0. The board asked the clerk and solicitor to work with the applicant on the submission requirements ahead of the next meeting.
The board closed the hearing and adjourned; the applicant and operator were told to return with a detailed menu, clarified hours and a plan to ensure alcohol is confined to the enclosed area separate from training courts.
