ROYALSTON – The Winchendon Rod & Gun Club took a step toward reopening after being closed for more than two years.
Winchendon resident Gary Fleming met with Royalston’s Selectboard, looking for guidance on reopening the Winchendon Rod & Gun Club in Royalston. Fleming, a member of the club’s board of directors, said the club has ceased operations two years ago due to a financial issue.
“That was followed by COVID,” Fleming said at the Jan. 17 meeting. “So there we sat with a building, licenses have lapsed, and all that goes along with that.”
Fleming said he was appearing before the board with more questions than answers regarding the hoped-for reopening. The board, according to Fleming, hopes to first get the facility’s kitchen up and running, followed by the bar.
“I was told, and went to Massachusetts’ Liquor Commission and I printed off their 11 pages of applications – of which I don’t think I’m going to live long enough to get all that done,” he said. “So that’s kind of where we are with that.”
Fleming said the plan is to work with the Board of Health to get the kitchen up and running and meet with the fire department to review fire safety needs–such as extinguishers and suppression equipment.
After briefing the board on the current status of the club’s planned revival, Fleming asked if a policy of BYOB, or “bring your own booze,” would require a license from the board.
“It probably does, but nobody has ever asked for one here,” responded board member Chris Long. “We have only a handful of liquor licenses to begin with, so we’d have to look into that.”
Responding to a question from Chair Deb D’Amico, Fleming said he didn’t see anything in the 11 pages of documents he obtained from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission relative to a BYOB policy.
“In talking with your building inspector, and also with your Board of Health, it appears that we are a private club which gives us the autonomy of dealing with our club members,” said Fleming. “In other words, as I understand it, it would be the same as my house; I could have people come in and if they wanted to bring in a six-pack of beer or something else, they would be able to do that.”
“So your club is open only to members? In other words, if I’m not a member, I can’t come in and play darts or have a beer or whatever?” D’Amico queried. “I remember going once, but it must have been a barbecue or something else that was open to the public.”
“That’s where we have to go,” Fleming replied. “We have to get our building in line, we have to get our kitchen in line, and then, if we want to raise money, we would have those sorts of things – a turkey dinner or something like that, or have a pig roast, something of that nature. But at this point, we don’t want to sell alcohol.
“Referencing my meeting with the building inspector, it’s kind of like it’s a private building until you have the public come in and take their money for something – then it becomes public. That’s where liquor licenses – things of that nature – come up.”
Fleming then asked if the Selectboard would be the granting authority regarding one-day liquor licenses.
“To play this out, if I decided that I wanted to have a fundraiser, and we’re going to have a pig roast, then I would come for a one-day liquor license where we could in fact sell beer and invite the public,” he said. “That would be under your auspices?”
“If you decide to do that, you’d want to do it well in advance,” Long said. “I think 30 days – 30 or 40 – to be sure we have plenty of time. And when liquor is involved, we typically always ask for a police detail, and that would be on you.”
Fleming said the goal is for the club to be family-oriented, with youth activities and fishing derbies, or creating a youth group for firearm safety. Fleming added that local Boy and Cub Scout groups had expressed reluctance with getting involved in a gun safety program for young people.
Board member Rick Martin said, “I would contact your insurance company about that. That might be why the Boy Scouts don’t do that, because their insurance would go through the roof. Once you get non-licensed youth in there, they’re going to want to cover themselves greatly.”
As Fleming was leaving, Martin said, “Good luck getting that place up and running. It would be nice to have it back.”
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.