WARWICK — Within the next year, Warwick’s new restaurant could have beer and wine on the dinner menu.
The Warwick Selectboard voted 2-1 Monday evening to grant Jim Kilroy, owner of the Barn Owl restaurant on Winchester Road, a liquor license.
However, the decision did not come without disagreement from members of the Selectboard. Because Kilroy openly admitted to having past struggles with alcoholism, Selectboard member Lawrence “Doc” Pruyne voted against granting him a license.
“Jim disclosed to the board that he’s had issues in his past and has confronted them,” Town Coordinator David Young said. “(Pruyne) expressed concern that Jim wasn’t following the (Alcoholics Anonymous) handbook.”
One Warwick resident presented the board with court records outlining incidents of violence in Kilroy’s former marriage and a DUI in Vermont in January, Pruyne said.
“Jim seems to be a very nice man, but that doesn’t mean he’s able to control his use of alcohol,” Pruyne said. “It is a disease and can be a lethal disease.”
“In my opinion, giving a license to serve liquor to a recovering alcoholic in early sobriety, who is prone to relapse and eight months away from his last relapse, is absolutely foolish,” Pruyne continued. “The 2-1 vote granting him the right to proceed shows a lack of concern for his well-being.”
Kilroy asked not to be judged “based on five minutes of all the minutes I have been on this planet,” but rather on who he has become.
“I have made great strides to better myself and create positive change in my life,” Kilroy said. “I expressed that I am not here to focus on the past but to focus on now and the future.”
Pruyne also argued that Kilroy stated his business would be viable without a liquor license, so granting a license wasn’t necessary.
Selectboard member Jim Erviti and Chairwoman Dawn Magi voted to grant Kilroy a license, stating they wanted to place their trust in Kilroy and judge him based on who he has become instead of on his past.
“Jim Kilroy was very honest. He presented the whole situation,” Magi said. “He was, to me, the picture of responsibility … I thought he deserved a chance, and Jim Erviti thought he did, too.”
Young noted that the restaurant’s abutters were notified, and none showed up to voice their concerns during Monday’s public hearing.
“I get a really strong sense that people want to see (the Barn Owl) succeed,” Young said, adding that the restaurant has attracted Warwick residents and people from surrounding towns alike in its first two weeks open.
Young said the decision serves as a notable moment for a town that hasn’t had a business serving alcohol in nearly 20 years.
“It hasn’t been since sometime in the 1990s that we had a general store or an inn with a liquor license,” he said.
Copper Angel Pizzeria and Bakery at 24 Athol Road, Warwick’s only other restaurant, does not have a liquor license. Instead, patrons are allowed to bring their own drinks.
Kilroy said he told the Selectboard he is not interested in opening a bar, but wants to serve local beers and quality wines to enhance his meals. Kilroy said he will only serve beer and wine from 5 to 9 p.m.
Kilroy said he appreciates residents’ concerns about his health and well-being, and that their concerns “illustrate the care and community of a small town.”
“I am glad that the town saw fit to grant me the chance at a license,” Kilroy said of the vote. “I have put so much into this project and it is not just a profession, but a way of life … Whatever the outcome, I was going to stay on course and make Barn Owl a success.”
Young said he now needs to gather the necessary paperwork to submit Kilroy’s application to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, who will perform its own investigation and decide whether to approve the license. Young expects the process to take at least nine months.