Rockport residents at their Annual Town Meeting Monday night gave the first green light to issuing a single license for a grocery store to sell beer and wine — a move some residents and officials said would encourage a store to fill the former IGA building.
"You have to have beer and wine because that's the only way it's going to work," said Henry Koski, a Rockport resident and retired employee of Crosby's Market in Manchester.
A small store, like what would fit in the IGA building, would need beer and wine sales to be profitable, he said; without them, it's not possible.
The motion passed with a handful of residents out of the 295 attending opposed Monday night, and if approved by the state, the license will head to a referendum vote. The meeting wrapped up at 10:45 p.m. Monday night and residents approved nearly all of the proposed articles.
Rockport voters passed the town's $23,811,250 budget without change, and approved $1,175,090 in capital improvement expenditures.
Residents shot down only one article — a zoning proposal allowing an additional trailer on a property. They shot the article down because of concerns over setbacks.
We will update this story later today here at gloucestertimes.com.
To have text alerts regarding Rockport stories and other Breaking News coverage sent to your mobile phone, just sign up for the Times' free text-alert service on the gloucestertimes.com homepage.
For more up-to-date coverage, follow the Times news and sports teams on Twitter at twitter.com@gdtnews or gdtsports. For full Town Meeting coverage, look to tomorrow's print and online editions of the Gloucester Daily Times and gloucestertimes.com
Steven Fletcher may be contacted at 1-978-283-7000 x3455, or sfletcher@gloucestertimes.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stevengdt.
Fmr. TWA Flight 800 Investigators Want New Probe
Raw: Heat, Spurs Back on Court Ahead of Game 7
Dolce and Gabbana Convicted of Tax Evasion
Paris, Prince Depositions Used in Jackson Trial
Coiffed Cattle Get Their Close-up
In Berlin, Obama Channels Cold War Activism
Police at Patriots Tight End's Home for 2nd Day
Fed Suggests Bond Purchases Could Slow
AP: DOJ Broke Own Rules Seizing Phone Records
Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo
Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse
Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
Aug. Trial Set for Ohio Man in Triple Kidnapping
Car Crash in NYC's East Village Injures 8
