Oh, I forgot to show you this before I'm sorry.

We welcome everyone.

No, yeah, yeah.

No, no, we guess that we get a form.

But I'm seeing we could not let the attorneys speak.

Welcome my colleagues.

This is the meeting of the committee on appointments and briefing briefings.

It's August 21st, 2025.

It is 633 PM, and I'm joined in in uh in the chamber by my colleagues.

City Councilor Ryan Pereira, Ward Five, City Councilor, Joseph Lopes, Ward One City Councillor, Leo Choquette, Ward Two City Councillor, Maria Giesta, Counselor at Lodge, and our Council President, Shane Burgo, and Council Ward 3, Sean Oliver.

Thank you all for coming.

Do we have anything to read in the record?

Yes, we do, Madam President.

Madam President, we have a letter from Councillor Baptiste.

Dear Council President Burgo, and I'm sorry, Dear Chairman Carney, the members of the City Council.

I am writing to inform you that I expect to be late for tonight's committee and city council meetings as I will be attending a zoning board of appeals meeting at that time.

Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues and the public aware of the reason for my delayed arrivals.

Sincerely, Derek Baptiste, Ward 4 City Councillor.

Second.

Motion made by Council Lopes, second by Councillor Oliver.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed, the ayes have it.

Number one is before us.

Can I get a motion to receive and place on fire?

And open to public hearing.

Opposed the ayes have it.

And Councillor Morad has joined us.

She was here before.

And Councillor Thank you.

Council Gomes has joined us also.

Thank you.

Okay, so who would like to speak first from the club?

Could we have Mr.

Mendies come to the podium, please?

Okay.

Mr.

Mendies, just state your name and address for the record.

Hello, Derek Mendies, 1086 Mount Pleasant Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Good evening, Mr.

Mendies, if I may, Mr.

Chair.

You see Madam Chair, I should say.

You sit with the little bit of your the background of the club and what you expected to be doing at the old Central Luzo building.

Absolutely.

Right now we're located uh Casa Benfica at 1484 Cushion Avenue.

So basically we just purchased the old Central Luzo.

So we're going from a members' club to a members club.

And basically it's just family doing having little parties, buffets, members' club, cleaning up the place, just like we were at uh 1484 Cushion Avenue.

We've never had any problems.

We keep everything very structured and uh it's very family-oriented.

You know, we like the area, we just wanted a bigger place.

For many years, Casa de Benfica uh has been in the city of New Bedford, and we wanted to just get a bigger place because right now it's really, really tiny and small, and our membership is getting bigger and bigger.

Yeah, I agree because uh Central Luzo is a good sized club.

Um there's a nice kitchen in the bottom and very roomy, and then you have the um I guess salon in on the top floor, and then a really good sized parking lot, so which is fenced in, correct?

You have a nice uh secure fence there.

Absolutely, it's really nice.

It's all fenced in.

Uh we're cleaning up uh the fenced in area.

And do you usually do events during the weekend, during the week?

So normally we do Friday nights.

Uh we do events like buffet or family style.

Uh we get the families, husbands, wives, children, everybody there.

We'll cook a meal for them, just uh generate a little bit of money to keep the the club running uh at all times.

And it's nice.

It's not uh a nightclub, it's a members club.

We invite everybody.

You know, we're not there to have trouble, you want everything, you know.

Do you allow by the rules?

Do you allow Porto fans in?

We allow everyone in.

Everyone.

So if I wear a blue and white shirt, it'll be okay.

It's okay.

I'm kidding.

I would never I would never disrespect the club that way.

But thank you.

Um those are my questions for now.

Thank you, Madam Perr.

Thank you.

You won't be the only one in the blue and white shirt, Councilor?

Pereira.

Council Pereira.

What's his name over there?

He'll be joining you in the blue and white shirt.

Yes, Council Oliver.

Thank thank you, madam chair.

Uh do you allow green shirts in there?

Do you like that?

Absolutely.

We do have members that are have green shirts and blue shirts.

No, uh the is the the club gonna be, I know you it's a members uh only club, but a lot of member clubs will rent the hall to the general public.

Is that a practice that you'll be doing there as well?

We do.

Um we'll be renting probably Saturday nights to the general public.

Um, we'll be doing a screening and stuff, like you know, there's certain things we can't have there.

So you know, we will be there to monitor everything.

Okay.

Absolutely, everything by the books.

That was my next question for that.

Um also uh because of the kitchen, are you you're looking to operate the kitchen as well, or is that going to be on an event only basis?

Absolutely.

We're gonna be operating the kitchen too.

We've gone through all the process with the kitchen, they've passed inspection and everything.

Okay.

And I believe my other two questions were just asked and answered.

So that's all I have.

Thank you.

Good luck.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Council Oliver.

Anybody else?

Seeing none, would anybody like to speak in favor?

Speak.

Does oh do you want any more anybody else want to get up and speak?

Do you want to get up and speak?

Come on up.

Sure, we can have our attorney.

Yes, absolutely.

Come up here if you want to say a few words.

Sure.

Thank you very much.

Yeah, name and record for the for the uh evening.

I mean name and address for the record.

Well, no, for the record, John Williams.

I have an office in at 651 Archie Street in New Bedford.

And uh that location was Central Luzo American Club.

Um that that's a corporation that was formed in in in 1948.

That location has had a club license for for quite a long period of time.

Um and Benfica was on on a Cushion Avenue.

And I I don't think it's had it had a good record the way they ran, ran their club license there.

So I would think it's going to continue like that.

And uh so they purchased the property uh just recently.

And uh and they and we formed a new corporation, and I stupidly printed out the stock certificates in the wrong color for I didn't have the Benfica color there, so we had to do that twice.

I didn't realize it how particular they were.

But anyway, yeah.

It's uh it's that location had a long standing club license, and they've run it, they've run a club for uh for a long time.

And they've had no problem, so I would think it's um I don't think that it's it's going to be a stretch to you know to allow it.

And I'm doing a license transfer.

Their license is the their existing liquor license is going to be transferred over to this location.

So if there's any questions.

Does anybody have any questions for the attorney?

You're all set.

Thanks so much.

You're so welcome.

Uh Madam Chair, yes.

Uh could we have um uh Matt from the building department uh to to come up?

I thought I saw him.

There he is.

There you are, in the corner.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Thank you, Matt.

This building's been uh closed for a little while.

Is there any concerns or anything that needs to be done to the building to bring it up to standard or code or anything like that, or is it all set?

It's pretty much all set to my knowledge, as long as they maintain it as with the previous club utilize it as.

No, there should be no issues.

Okay, awesome.

Thank you very much.

That's all, Madam Chair.

Anybody else have any questions for Matt?

Seeing none, thank you, Matt.

Anybody else have any questions for anybody else?

Seeing none at this time, I will ask if anyone is wants to speak in favor, speak in favor.

Be recorded in favor, be recorded in favor.

Speak in opposition, speak in opposition, be recorded in opposition.

Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion to close the public hearing.

So moved.

Yes.

Before you close the meeting, could you ask Attorney Giratowski to come to the podium?

Absolutely.

Thanks.

David, I've been here a long time, but it's been a long time since we've done one of these.

So is it properly before us?

Yeah, I believe so.

It's part of the um permitting through the zoning code in order to locate a uh club or a lodge, a nonprofit club or lodge, the the table of uses in the zoning code require city council approval.

Um usually it's either planning board, board of appeals, or city council.

This one happens to be under the city council.

They have applied, the building department sends it here.

They have to apply through you to get that special permit so that the permits can be issued by the building department once your approval is given.

And like the zoning board or the planning board, is there a waiting period after this approval?

Um it would have to go to the city council, and I don't see uh uh once it's a final vote, they would just be issued.

But there's no 20-day waiting period like for an appeal type of thing.

I don't believe so.

I'd have to check.

I don't know exactly what the appeal period would be, but um I think they could they could seek the permits if no one was appealing to the I mean uh for the for the petitioners benefit anyway.

Right.

Yeah Yeah, I don't I don't I'm not sure what the special permit um law would probably detail that, but I'm not sure off the top of my head whether they would have to wait.

Yeah, I mean I know in the special permit for a zoning board there's a 20-day appeal period once the clerk receives the the documentation.

Yeah, there's usually in in these cases an appeal, but I don't know what the statutory requirement is under if you find that I I'd like to add that to my education.

We'll do thank you.

Thank you.

But otherwise it's probably before us.

It will be referred out of committee who go to the next one.

Yeah, after the hearing closes, and then you can uh move it to the council.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Murray.

Your pleasures?

Motion to approve.

Oh, excuse me, I get a close public hearing.

That's right.

Motion to close.

Motion be made by Council Burgo, second.

Second by Council Oliver.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed the ayes have it.

Your pleasure.

Motion to approve the application with a favorable recommendation to the full city council.

Second.

Made by Councillor Giesta, second by Council Oliver.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Oppose?

The ayes have it.

Motion to adjourn.

Second.

Motion to adjourn.

Second.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

We are adjourned at six forty-five.

Thank you.

And so you know the it'll be on the next city council agenda.

Uh not the next one.

Uh September's.

It'll be on September.