Stow Select Board suspends Wedgwood Country Club’s liquor license for three days, grants provisional outdoor service with conditions

The Stow Select Board on [date not specified] voted to suspend the liquor license of Wedgwood Country Club of Stow for three days — Aug. 20–22 — and separately approved a provisional amendment to allow limited outdoor sales and consumption pending a formal public hearing.

The three‑day suspension was proposed by a board member and approved unanimously. The suspension requires the club either to close for the three days or, if it remains open, to provide a police detail at the club’s expense and permit that detail the use of a golf cart to make spot checks across the property to enforce the restriction on outdoor service.

Why it matters: Board members said the action responds to corroborated evidence that alcohol had been served outside the premises authorized by the current license and to related safety concerns — including the licensee’s use of pyrotechnics that the fire chief had warned could violate state requirements. Several board members said the club had been warned previously (the board referred to a notice from the prior October) and that repeated failures to follow licensing rules required enforcement.

Dawson Cooper, an attorney representing the licensee, told the board an application to amend the licensed premises was filed with the town on 07/10 and that the town confirmed receipt on 07/13. Cooper said the amendment would, if approved, extend the licensed area to cover the clubhouse interior, clubhouse grounds, the pool area and parts of the golf course; he added that the club regretted the errors and was working to resolve them.

An owner who spoke for the club said Wedgwood (which has operated for decades) had not had prior incidents for most of its history and described the out‑of‑licence service as a mistake and not a deliberate attempt to flout rules. "We've been a good neighbor to the community," the owner said, while acknowledging the license had been violated.

Alongside the suspension vote, the board debated and then voted 4–1 to provisionally amend the premises to allow outdoor sales and consumption until the scheduled public hearing, with several conditions: adherence to all town bylaws, special permits, rules and state laws; prohibition of pyrotechnics and other illegal activities; no amplified outdoor entertainment after 10 p.m.; and the expectation that violations during the provisional period could be grounds for enforcement including revocation. The board noted that zoning and special‑permit enforcement (including a $300 per‑offense fine if the zoning enforcement officer finds activity outside an approved permit) remains within the planning/zoning authority and enforcement chain.

Board procedure and next steps: Staff said the formal public hearing on the amended premises will be scheduled for the board’s August meeting (staff indicated they would provide the required hearing notice and confirmed Aug. 25 as the public hearing date). The board directed staff to document the suspension to the Alcoholic Beverage Control authority and to circulate written records of the votes and conditions.

Votes at a glance: the suspension motion (three days, officer detail option or closure) passed unanimously; the provisional amendment (outdoor sales allowed with conditions) passed 4–1 (one member opposed).

What remains unresolved: the provisional amendment is temporary pending the public hearing and the outcome of any zoning/special‑permit determinations by the planning board and the town’s zoning enforcement officer. The transcript ends shortly after adjournment and appears truncated; staff committed to issuing full written documentation of the board’s actions and the forthcoming public‑hearing notice.

Sources: Oral statements and motions recorded in the board’s public hearing transcript; counsel’s representation that an ABCC application was filed on 07/10 and receipt confirmed 07/13 (as stated to the board).