North Andover Select Board Opens Town Meeting Warrant, Approves Winery Entertainment License
Select Board · Meeting of January 26, 2026
North Andover's Select Board voted unanimously to open the 2026 Annual Town Meeting Warrant and granted a boutique winery an expanded entertainment license at the January 26 meeting. The board set the warrant open period from January 27 through March 9, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. for the May 12 Annual Town Meeting. On licensing, Licensing Chair Brian E.
Roache and the full board approved Marblehead Ridge Farm LLC's application — brought by owner Eldridge Brig Leland — for expanded weeknight hours to 9 p.m. and weekend and holiday hours to 10 p.m., along with an entertainment license for acoustic music and events, conditioned on a six-month check-in for noise complaints. An election working group presented by election supervisor Pat Grimm found "substantial evidence" that low local election engagement is not unique to North Andover and that changing the March election date would not significantly increase turnout, with survey respondents citing ballot competitiveness — not time of year — as the primary driver of participation. The board also extended free permits at Stevens Pond for a second summer, at an operating cost of $40,000 to $50,000 covered through the general fund.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,364 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of January 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 14-day free trial
Subscribe to Essex County News to keep reading this post and get 14 days of free access to the full post archives.
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news