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The Winchester Select Board unanimously elected Anthea Brady as its new chair March 30, elevating her to lead the five-member board as it took up a contested round of outdoor dining applications and approved a water and sewer rate increase that will raise the average residential bill next fiscal year.
Brady replaced Michelle Prior, who had led the board for two years. Bill McGonigle was elected vice chair. Town Manager Chris Senior presided over the reorganization vote before turning the meeting over to Brady.
The board then reviewed eight applications from restaurants seeking seasonal outdoor dining permits that would collectively claim 19 public parking spaces across Winchester’s downtown. The requests arrived as the town faces a separate loss of parking near the train station, where construction is expected to begin this summer.
The sharpest conflict centered on a stretch of Main Street where both First House Pub and Kyuramen submitted requests. First House Pub asked for three spaces to add 50 seats; Kyuramen requested two spaces for 18 additional seats. Together the two applications would occupy five spaces on the same block.
Deran Muckjian, owner of Catch a Falling Star and a business owner in Winchester Center for more than 25 years, wrote to the board asking that only First House Pub be approved. He argued granting both permits would leave very little parking for other businesses on the block and said restaurants should only be allowed to use space in front of their own storefronts.
Mary McPartland, owner of Frozen Hoagies at 534 Main St., raised similar concerns. McPartland noted that First House Pub has had outdoor seating for six years and adding Kyuramen’s request would leave at most two spots on that side of the street, affecting four other businesses.
“Summer is the business’s peak season,” she wrote.
The remaining six applicants were Nouvelle Maison on Church Street, one space for eight seats; A Tavola on Church Street, three spaces for 36 seats; Thai Charoen on Main Street, two spaces for 16 seats; Lucia's on Mount Vernon Street, three spaces for 52 seats; Black Horse Tavern on Thompson Street, three spaces for 54 seats; and China Sky on Converse Place, two spaces for 18 seats.
China Sky submitted its application late with no fee, and its plan would require blocking spaces across the street for truck turning access. Nouvelle Maison was still awaiting a pouring license from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.
Town departments noted that all establishments must submit cleaning schedules and enhanced pest control plans before approval.
Water and sewer rates
The board to approve a 7% annual increase in rates through fiscal year 2031, following a public hearing.
The Abrahams Group LLC had presented three rate options for the board’s consideration. Under the approved plan, the average residential user’s quarterly bill, based on 2,900 cubic feet of usage, would rise from $267.61 to $283.89 in fiscal year 2027 — an increase of about $16 per quarter.
The other two options would have produced slightly different first-year bills: an 8% increase in fiscal year 2027 followed by 6.5% annually would have raised the average bill to $286.22, while a 6% increase followed by 7.5% annually would have set it at $281.57.
The rate increase reflects rising costs across the water and sewer system. The preliminary fiscal year 2027 budget totals $15.53 million, with the largest share — $4.64 million, or 30% of the total — going to Massachusetts Water Resources Authority capital assessments.
MWRA operations and maintenance assessments account for $3.82 million (25% of the total budget), followed by water and sewer operating expenses at $2.95 million (19%), existing local debt service at $2.19 million (14%) and indirect costs at $1.92 million (12%).
The preliminary MWRA water assessment for fiscal year 2027 is up 8.8% from fiscal year 2026, and the sewer assessment is up 1%. The meeting materials did not provide the fiscal year 2026 base figures for either assessment, so the dollar impact of those percentage increases cannot be determined.
Revenue from user charges has climbed in recent years, reaching a projected $8.57 million in fiscal year 2026, up from $7.57 million in fiscal year 2025 and $6.12 million in fiscal year 2024. McGonigle, who made the motion to approve the 7% plan, also joined colleagues in directing staff to explore a fourth pricing tier for high-volume users, with potential implementation in fiscal year 2028.
The approved water and sewer rates are expected to go before the April 27 Town Meeting for final action.
Will Dowd is a Massachusetts journalist who covers municipal government and community life for Winchester News. He runs The Marblehead Independent, a reader-funded digital newsroom.
