ATHOL — Working under a full sun and in 90-plus degree temperatures, self-proclaimed Dawg Meister Michael Kennedy didn’t skip a beat. Smiling broadly, he grilled up a row of hot dogs, all the while chatting up the line of customers queued at his hot dog cart on the corner of Mechanic and Main streets this week.
Bright red and yellow feather banners waved in the breeze at the corner lot — cleared, laid with clean wood chips and dedicated to local veterans. A small plaque, bench and American flag create a seating centerpiece.
Kennedy, of Ashburnham, was granted a vendor/peddler permit by a vote of 3-2, with Selectmen William Caldwell, Lee Chauvette and Holly Young voting in favor of a three-month trial period. Chairman Stephen Raymond and Rebecca Bialecki voted against the measure, in the interest of public safety, only due to its proximity to the hospital, presently under construction.
Bialecki questioned whether that was the best location for the stand — across from the Athol Hospital emergency entrance/egress.
“My concern is for the first responder traffic” she said, noting police and fire emergency personnel use that corner all day and night, sometimes at a high rate of speed. “My concern is for the purpose of public safety. I think a hot dog cart is a good idea.”
Kennedy said he has been open four times.
“There’s no parking on the side of the road,” he said. “We haven’t had a problem.”
He said he hasn’t had more than two cars at a time.
“People come and get their hot dogs and go, they don’t sit and stay.” he said.
The permit request includes the option to use other locations in Athol, although he currently has no others in mind.
Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said he suggested they leave it a little more open, after he reviewed the files for other vendors. For instance, for the fruit/vegetable stand on the Uptown Common, the permit requires a setback from intersection on the recommendation of the fire chief.
“The Board has some discretion. Mike will come back if wants to change locations,” said Suhoski.
Hours will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., but not during inclement rain. He also plans to take part in First Friday events.
Bialecki suggested he consider setting up at the spot previously occupied by Joseph “Joe Potato” Puchalsky on South Main Street by the Millers River bridge until his recent passing.
“I can’t imagine the property owner would be against having something different set up there,” said Bialecki. “That, for me, would be a better location safety-wise.”
She noted that it was an established area — “People know they can pull off in a safe way.”
She said her ultimate concern regarding the location by the hospital is the traffic coming in and around that corner.
“As you become a known entity, that could increase traffic to a point it will become a real safety concern,” she said.
Kennedy said he set up the hot dog cart four times: On July 24, 19 people on foot visited and he had nine cars; on July 27, he had 19 foot sales and six car sales; on July 30, there were 12 foot sales and three cars; on July 31, there were 20 foot sales and eights.
“And, those were all without proper permits?” asked Bialecki.
Kennedy responded, “I have all the permits I was told to have.”
He said he was at Town Hall in March for two hours, “running around with my brother, and nobody once told me I needed a permit to be here. I was at the Board of Health in March.”
He noted that he was also at Town Hall two weeks ago, and was not told he needed to be fingerprinted.
Suhoski said, “It’s possible that Kennedy was not referred to our office at that time. I didn’t run into him in March. We are trying to improve the communication surrounding this, internally, because nobody likes to runaround Town Hall.”
Bialecki said, “We do need to improve the process at Town Hall to help support businesses.”
Kennedy said most of the cars that did visit his cart arrived between noon and 1 p.m.
Caldwell suggested amending his motion to make it a three-month permit, rather than for a year, and reassessing it after that.
Police Lt. Ron Cody was asked for his opinion on the location and people backing out into the line of traffic.
“I’m on line with Rebecca on that. There’s a lot of volume traffic there, once its fully operational it’s going to be risky.”
Cote said there should be no parking on the corner on Main Street, and Kennedy said no signage exists on that side all the way to the traffic lights.
Kennedy said his brother, the property owner Joseph Kennedy, built the park for local veterans after being told he could not put a garage there. The recently-paved parking lot will hold five cars, and there is room on the wood chip area for two extra vehicles.
Fire Chief John Duguay voiced concerns, saying, “Right now, with the fence for hospital construction, there is no line of sight. Even the vehicles parked when the hot dog stand isn’t there, is an issue.”
Cote suggested putting orange traffic cones down on Main Street, 30 feet from the corner, so motorists don’t park there, as well as a sign directing cars to the parking lot. Both measures were in place Tuesday afternoon.
The three-month permit was approved with the provision of parking signs and placement of traffic cones. If there are no incidents, Kennedy can return to selectmen to apply for a full-year permit. He will also contact the board if he wants to set up in another location. Kennedy sells all-beef hot dogs (individually or by meals), chips, water and soft drinks.