Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Event Licenses topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wellfleet board approves liquor licenses, waives hearing fee for nonprofit festival
Summary
The Select Board approved a manager change for New Fleet Corp (doing business as Seabird Cantina) and granted special-event beer‑and‑wine licenses for the Outer Cape Music Festival and St. James the Fisherman, waiving the public hearing fee for nonprofit events and approving the Outer Cape event fee at $300.
The Wellfleet Select Board on June 16 approved multiple liquor‑licensing items and discussed a policy question about waiving public hearing fees for nonprofit events.
The board unanimously approved a reconsideration and manager change for New Fleet Corp LLC (doing business as Seabird Cantina), authorizing the change of manager from Michael McNamera to Earl Evans Kendall. Staff clarified that the entity’s legal owner is New Fleet Corp LLC and that the restaurant’s DBA remains Seabird Cantina.
David White, representing Outer Cape Music (a 501(c)(3)), described the nonprofit festival (Sept. 5–6 at Wellfleet Marina), listed charitable beneficiaries and event safety plans, and asked for a special‑event beer‑and‑wine license. Board members debated consistency in how the town treats hearing fees for nonprofits after a separate church event received different handling. The board voted to waive the public‑hearing fee for the festival and approved the license with a total fee of $300 (motion passed by roll call).
The board also approved a special‑event liquor license for St. James the Fisherman Episcopal Church for July 25, 2026, setting the fee at $175 (beer and wine plus processing fee), again recording a unanimous vote.
All licensing motions were routine approvals with staff confirming compliance requirements: event insurance, certified crowd managers, MassTIPS‑trained bartenders, and coordination with town department heads.
The board signaled that discretionary fee waivers for nonprofits will be handled on a case‑by‑case basis under the town’s fee schedule, and members asked staff to document the board’s decisions in the meeting minutes so future applicants see the precedent.
