PEABODY — There were two public hearings held at last week’s City Council meeting.
The first was for petitioner Denise Remington Hereford to receive a junk dealers license for the sale of secondhand items at 99 Lynn St., which is also known as 101 Lynn St. Remington Hereford said her intention was to sell clothing and other items at her store, which is called Threads.
“I’m excited to hopefully become a part of the business community and provide the services and goods to your residents,” she said to the Council.
Ward 1 Councilor Craig Welton first moved to receive and approve item 8A, which was a special permit request for Remington Hereford. That motion passed unanimously, 11-0.
Welton then explained some background information to his fellow councilors.
“Ms. Remington Hereford is looking to start her business Threads at 101 Lynn St. Formerly it was The Velvet Elvis. Formerly to that it was Ginger’s Closet… I’ve had a chance to speak with all the neighbors. Everyone’s on board,” Welton said.
After the closing of the public hearing, Welton read the motion to approve Remington Hereford’s license with six conditions.
The first two were that Remington Hereford must develop policies and procedures “to ensure there’s no unauthorized dumping or drop off of materials outside of business hours” and “regarding (the) process for ensuring that items for resale are sanitary and free of pests.”
The third condition was that “the collection and resale of mattresses” is not allowed, and the fourth was that Remington Hereford “should contract with (a) licensed pest control professional to provide services on a monthly basis or more frequently if needed.”
Welton said the fifth condition was that she “must ensure that discarded materials are collected by (a) private trash hauler frequently enough so that outside storage of unwanted items does not create a nuisance for abutters,” and that “items to be discarded must be stored on the property and may not obstruct the public sidewalk.”
The sixth and final condition was that “all lighting must be extinguished upon closing of the business for the day.”
Welton and Remington Hereford then confirmed Threads’ hours of operation, which are: Monday-Wednesday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday-Friday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday from 12-6 p.m.
Her junk dealers license was then unanimously approved with a vote of 11-0.
The second public hearing of the evening was for Professional Physical Therapy (PPT), located at 637 Lowell St. Suite 8B, to receive a special permit.
PPT Clinical Director Ronnie Rajeh told the Council, “We’re just a physical therapy office in the West Peabody area just trying to provide some services for some of the residents in need (with) any orthopedic conditions.”
Ward 6 Councilor Mike Higgins said PPT is “a good fit for the Big Y Plaza.” He added, “I’m rather pleased to see an empty suite no longer vacated.”
Higgins then allowed Rajeh to verify that every staff member who will be providing services at PPT is licensed. Rajeh told the Council that he and Physical Therapist Katherine Walters, who was just hired this past month, are the only two who will be providing services, and they both have their licenses displayed in the clinic.
The Council discussed what PPT’s hours of operation would be solidified as and decided on the following: Monday-Friday from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. The Council then voted unanimously, 11-0, to issue the special permit.
