You Don't Have to Go Home, But You Can't Stay Here

The city continues its crackdown on problem bars and clubs, dropping the hammer on some problem establishments.

More interesting were Mayor Dan Mylott's comments on the issue. He'd like to see Fitchburg set a 1 a.m. closing for all bars, and mandate an automatic 11 p.m. close with establishments needing annual permission from the city to stay open until 1. We don't like either idea, particularly the second.

We don't get out like we used to, but we've always considered the 2 a.m. closing time to be fairly important. For people who want to go out late, the 2 a.m. closing time is a consideration. For the night owls, rolling back to 1 a.m. means business will leave for other communities with the later closing time (not mention, Mylott is painting all establishments with a broad brush here).

The 11 p.m. closing time is pure death to a bar or club. They might as well shut the doors rather than even try. Plain and simple. It's a move communities make when they want to get rid of problems. If Mylott wants to clear the town of bars and clubs (not a great move for a city trying to establish itself as vibrant and energized), this would be a great way to do it.

Cutting back on 2 a.m. closing times isn't the issue. It's the oversight by owners, managers and the police. Rolling back last call is a politically expedient move, but isn't good for business. Rolling it back to 11 p.m. would be a disaster for the city.

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Outside the city, there's a huge doing tonight over at Devens and the surrounding towns, as they vote on whether or not Devens should be its own community. All signs point to this passing, and it will be years before Devens is self-supporting. MassDevelopment will still play a role in the community for a long time.

This has an impact on Fitchburg. With its open space, motivated residential base, a powerful state agency on its side, and fast permitting process, Devens has a number of advantages on Fitchburg and the rest of the region. Its future will play a role in the entire region as Devens grows. The plans for housing (nearly 2,000 homes) and more jobs will effect the area. It's worth paying attention and watch what's going on at Devens. For a little blip on the map, it will have an outsized impact on the city and North Central Mass.