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Board to consider cutting hours at Cleveland Circle bar that keeps getting cited for serving underage BC students

The Boston Licensing Board travels to Cleveland Circle next week for an unusual hearing on whether to reduce the hours at Mary Ann's, the Beacon Street watering hole that can now stay open until 2 a.m.

The board, which normally only holds hearings during the day at City Hall, will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday in the community room at the Waterworks Museum, 2450 Beacon St., according to a notice from D-14 Capt. Wayne Lanchester.

Earlier this month, the board ordered the bar to shut for a total of eight days for incidents on Jan. 14, in which detectives found a BC student with a fake ID and a can of Narragansett, and Jan. 31, in which detectives found three intoxicated BC students, one with a license he'd stolen from his older brother, with Gansetts.

These are just the latest in a string of incidents involving underage patrons, for the most part from nearby BC, over the years.

In January, the board ordered a two-day suspension for an incident on Nov. 14 involving five underage BC students with fake IDs and a can of Gansett, a Yuengling, a Bud Light and a Coors Light.

Last May, the board ordered a 3-day suspension for a minor in possession of alcohol, an intoxicated patron and somebody leaving the premises with three beers. That came a month after the board ordered a two-day suspension for a minor in possession of alcohol and overcrowding.

In December, 2013, the board ordered a three-day suspension for furnishing alcohol to minors and minor in possession of alcohol.

In response to the latest hearing, Mary Ann's attorney David Eistenstadt wrote the board to say that the bar would no longer accept out-of-state licenses as proof of age - effective immediately, would-be drinkers would have to show a Massachusetts ID, a military ID or a passport.

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there goes all their customers...

In response to the latest hearing, Mary Ann's attorney David Eistenstadt wrote the board to say that the bar would no longer accept out-of-state licenses as proof of age - effective immediately, would-be drinkers would have to show a Massachusetts ID, a military ID or a passport.

I only say this because Mary Ann's is a BC hangout.. I'm not saying that all BC students are out of staters without MA licenses, but many are.

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Unless things have radically changed, one can have an out of state driving license and an MA ID. I vividly remember hiking over to that old giant pile of a building by North Station to get mine on my 21st birthday. I didn't convert to an MA license until two years later.

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Is that many of them are easily faked and ordered online - right down to including your photo and even a magnetic strip that can fool the card scanners many bars have. I don't know what it is about Mass. IDs that are harder to spoof, but apparently they are.

And then there are the kids who borrow (or steal) their sibling's licenses - and here college kids often show they can be really stupid. There was a case last week involving some underage kid who got tripped up when the detective asked her for "her" Zip code and she couldn't recite the Zip code on the license she'd just given to him - the one her older sister let her use.

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Probably because those are the forms of ID specifically called out in Ch.138 S.34B : https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter138/Sect...

Any licensee, or agent or employee thereof, under this chapter who reasonably relies on such a liquor purchase identification card or motor vehicle license issued pursuant to section eight of chapter ninety, or on an identification card issued under section 8E of chapter 90, or on a valid passport issued by the United States government, or by the government, recognized by the United States government, of a foreign country, or a valid United States issued military identification card, for proof of a person’s identity and age shall not suffer any modification, suspension, revocation or cancellation of such license, nor shall he suffer any criminal liability, for delivering or selling alcohol or alcoholic beverages to a person under twenty-one years of age.

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What's the point of this discriminatory law, if bars still get in trouble when someone uses their brother's Mass license?

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Only because for years I didn't have a driver's license (no sense in having one if I don't own a car nor, at the time, never drove period). And when it was time to convert over from my Georgia DL, I was told by a few people not to bother with the Liquor ID as many places won't accept as a form of ID. I just got the standard ID which worked. (but I've always looked above 30, even at 21 so it was rare I was carded anyways)

Not sure how truthful "places won't accept it as a ID" is correct but it was what I was told several years ago (~2002ish)

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I use a liquor ID and I've been turned away at a bank and at a NH liquor store because some people are clueless and don't know what a liquor ID is. I explained to the lady at the liquor store that its ridiculous that I can board a flight using my liquor ID but they won't sell me LIQUOR with a LIQUOR ID.

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Well, almost - they are the same as licenses except for the taking the license exam part.

As identification, they have the same requirements. I took my sons to get their IDs about a year ago (they have passports, too) and the documentation needed is the same. The final product is also the same in terms of security features.

Linking ability to drink with driving is a really bad idea anyway.

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I've had Blanchard's in WR refuse to sell me a case of beer because the person I was with only had a MA liquor ID, not a driver's license. I had a license, and the girl never touched anything, but they still would not sell to me. I was about 33, this girl was about 4 years younger than me, and didn't look underage in any respect, IMO.

That was about 6 years ago, and it was the last time I ever went in there.

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their license lifted, after having gotten away with violating the board's regulations against serving underaged college students. No sympathy and support from these quarters.

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They are accepting out of state licenses as of 4/29 as per the bar manager.

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They should require that the bar serve only high quality craft brews and no light beer at all. THAT will drive out all the BC kids.

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It's a dive bar.

I get that you sucked all the fun out of drinking beer in exchange for a culture of people that look, dress, groom their facial hair, and condescend in the exact same way that you do (and that somehow constitutes a personality within the craft beer world) but not every bar needs to be elitist.

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Did you know that many years ago the premises were called The Circle Lounge and owned byJimmmy Wilansky brother of Barney Wilansky who owned the Cocoa Nut Grove and went to prison for manslaughter ?

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Not true. The Circle Lounge was across the street. The old name of Maryann's was The Reservoir Cafe, locally referred to as the Jungle.
Why the Jungle? Because you felt like you were in one.
Maryann was the name of George Kanavos' wife, and George Kanavos was the son of John Kanavos.

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says that someone has whispered into the ear of the City (be that the Mayor, BRA, or someone else) that they'd like to redevelop that parcel into something that pays a lot more in taxes and doesn't help college kids get drunk. Why else would this suddenly be such a big deal (Mary Ann's has been serving underage BC kids since the law was changed to make the vast majority of college kids underage).

Alternatively, the developers who just spent tons of money and 5 years getting the Cleveland Circle Cinemas redevelopment project underway want that "dive bar" gone yesterday. Also, a hearing at the Waterworks will be in a building populated by many who feel the same way.

One thing is for sure, however: it's going to be a lively meeting!

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But it's not like this is a new issue and it's not like the bar hasn't gotten in trouble before, and yet, it still stands. So, yeah, will be interesting to see if anything comes of this hearing.

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Only a handful of residents live in the same building as the Museum itself. Perhaps you're confusing this with the other three buildings on the campus.

Anyway, I'm a bit worried for most of the businesses in the Cleveland Circle area. Construction of the new mixed-use building will definitely change the neighborhood. The Starbucks should be safe. Maybe they'll even get a grocery?

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I thought that was just a museum, and residents live in the other former pump house building next door.

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Nope, there are 4 units in the same building as the museum.

http://liveatwaterworks.com/downloads/Leavitt_Model_Listing_Sheet.pdf

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to paraphrase Leonard Cohen

And it's So long Mary Ann's

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I'm amazed that anyone over 21 would drink there. It's gross.

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Its not a bad place to watch hockey. Sure, it kinda scummy, but before 9pm its dead empty, and they have big buck hunter.

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Haven't been to Mary Ann's in ages, when I do attend a hockey game at BC I like to go to Cityside. The only drawback is that freezing walk around the reservoir to get to the rink. I wish Cityside was as close to Conte Forum as T's Pub is to Agganis Arena.

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Minutes of the most recent Public Meetings of the Licensing Board for the City of Boston available... requests by email
LBCB at cityofboston.gov

Minutes of the most recent Public Meetings of each City Board/Commission available... request by email at
http://www.cityofboston.gov/boardsandcommissions/

Would any of you kind folks post Boards/Commissions PDF format Minutes forwarded by email ?...

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You could request the minutes and post them in pdf format when you get them.

Thanks.

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He doesn't want them in .pdf. He wants them in

Plain.

ASCII.

Format.

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But I'm just glad Don volunteered to post them in PDF format.

I mean, I was about to request them myself, along with the official schedules of the board members, but it seems like the Zak is coming through with this.

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They've been considering that for forty years, as far as I know. Maybe more., but that's as long as I've been observing the local scene.

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Are the boards looking to get revenge for all the times they've been cut?

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The only way to be sure.

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How do you post?... PDF Minutes of the Public Meeting of the Licensing Board

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