The Pawtucket City Council, sitting as the Board of License Commissioners, ordered a School Street restaurant and hookah lounge closed for one day and fined it $500 after the business held an outdoor concert in its parking lot without a permit, according to the council's published meeting recording.
The one-day suspension of the establishment's Class D liquor license was set for Friday, August 7. The $500 fine must be paid within 45 days. The board approved the agreement by voice vote after the license holder agreed to it.
The unpermitted outdoor event
The city's counsel laid out the facts for the board. On July 11, police arrived at the licensed premises — Pico's Restaurant & Lounge LLC, at 110 School Street — for a scheduled police detail and found an outdoor event already running in the parking lot, with a stage, a DJ, and patrons both inside the event area and waiting to get in.
Local sponsorAffordable photography lessons in Newport, Jamestown, or your town.E.L. Photo RIThe owner acknowledged to officers that he had no permit for an outdoor event or for expanding the licensed premises, according to the account read into the record. Counsel said the original venue had fallen through, a backup location had also fallen through, an out-of-state performer was already booked, and tickets had already been sold, so the owner decided to hold the event at his own establishment anyway. The record, counsel said, reflects that the council had previously denied a special-event application for an outdoor event at that location.
Police and fire officials chose to let the event finish rather than shut it down mid-event, in part because the city was managing several other large events the same night, and to handle the permitting violation administratively. No significant public-safety incidents were reported at the event itself.
An attorney for the license holder told the board his client had originally applied to hold the event elsewhere and was supposed to appear before the board but did not, and that a DJ had already been arranged from Europe. He said he and his client have since discussed the correct application process.
Council members were blunt. One member said the venue "is not made for that type of event," told the owner the crowd was too large for the space, and said neighbors had called about music audible several blocks away. Another member, addressing Silva directly, said the most disturbing detail in the police report was that the owner knew he was wrong and waited for police to tell him so, and estimated 200 to 300 people were present. "You jeopardized not only your patrons but your community, and I think that's irresponsible," the member said.
A third member framed it as a first-responder problem: with several events running citywide, an emergency at an unpermitted venue would have pulled resources to one spot.
Counsel noted the business has one prior formal disposition, a no plea entered on February 5, 2025, over disorderly-house violations. That case also drew a $500 fine and a one-day suspension, but the penalty was stayed 90 days and never imposed because no further violations followed. In a "no plea," a license holder does not contest the charges and accepts an agreed penalty without a contested hearing.
A second liquor case ends with a suspended fine
The board also resolved a case against a downtown lounge summoned over a June 20 incident. Counsel said the business had a temporary extension of hours for a World Cup event allowing service until 2 a.m. with last call at 1:45 a.m. Police doing compliance checks found the premises still operating at about 2 a.m., with music playing and roughly 30 patrons inside per the police report. Officers could not get in immediately because the exterior doors were locked, entering only when a patron came out. The owners shut the music off and cleared the room once police were inside, and there were no fights or disorderly behavior.
The board accepted a no plea with a $500 fine, no suspension, and the fine stayed for 120 days — meaning it is waived if there are no further violations in that window. Counsel said it had been roughly two and a half to three years since the license holder last appeared before the board.
Much of the discussion turned on the locked doors. An owner said the doors are kept secured because of problems in the area and that a security guard normally admits people, but the guard had stepped away that night. Counsel told the board state liquor law requires that police have immediate access until the last patron leaves a licensed premises, which is separate from what the fire code allows. The board discussed whether a lock box or door code could be provided to police, as the fire department already has a key.
Other license actions
- Approved a class B expansion of premises to add outdoor seating at an India Street bar and grill, described by its representative as four picnic tables and a barbecue near the rear door, enclosed with plastic barriers and removed in winter. A public hearing drew no other speakers.
- Approved a name change for that same business to reflect the barbecue.
- Continued a public hearing on a new auto repair shop license on an Esten Avenue property to the first meeting in September after the applicant did not appear.
- Approved a one-day expansion of a liquor license for a social club's 126th anniversary celebration on Main Street on Saturday, August 15, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., indoors and outdoors. One member recused from that item as a club member.
- Postponed a kennel license renewal and formal hearing to the first meeting in September, continuing a series of postponements dating to April.
- Voted to call the license holder at 249 Main Street in for a hearing at the first meeting in September, following a communication from Sergeant Jason Lawson of the Pawtucket Police Department about a police response to a large disorderly crowd at that address. Members noted the police report referenced a nearby address for which the city has no license on file.
Pothole claims
Meeting earlier as the Committee on Claims and Pending Suits, members took up three vehicle damage claims.
The committee recommended denying a $250 pothole claim from Christine King and referring her to the Pawtucket Water Supply Board, on the finding that the damage stemmed from utility work on Benefit Street. A city official told the committee that after utility work, roads are typically allowed 60 to 90 days to settle before restoration, and that the utility is responsible for the transition until the city restores the road curb to curb. Asked when Benefit Street would be repaved, the official said sign-offs were recently completed and paving is scheduled, with the city aiming to finish before school starts. The full council later voted 8-1 to deny the claim and refer it.
A second tire-damage claim was approved by the committee and later by the full council on a unanimous roll call. The dollar figure was read inconsistently in the recording — variously as roughly $281 and as a much larger sum — so the exact approved amount is not clear from the recording.
The committee also voted to postpone indefinitely two pothole claims. One, filed by Brandon Dyson, is waiting on a repair estimate the claimant has not produced despite calls, emails and texts; officials said it can be pulled back for action if he submits it. The other, filed by William Samos, a city employee, was withdrawn after the repair shop found less damage than expected.
Resilience task force seeking members
The city's resilience coordinator gave a pre-council address on a volunteer resilience task force he is recruiting for. He said the group would help set the city's sustainability priorities and assess how Pawtucket is doing against state climate goals, and told the council he is currently a staff of one.
He said advertising began last month through the mayor's newsletter and social media, and that seven applicants have come in so far, covering every city ward except Ward 6. The coordinator said he is working with a community engagement nonprofit to seek private foundation money for member stipends, and has met with two Rhode Island foundations. Asked whether the task force would look at chronic street flooding, he said stormwater is likely to be a top public concern but that the task force's role is to help prioritize among issues including flooding, energy efficiency, green infrastructure and waste reduction. Residents interested in serving were directed to contact him through the city.
Also approved
The council confirmed two mayoral appointments to the Riverfront Commission, forwarded by Mayor Donald R. Grebien, both with terms expiring the first Monday of June 2029. One appointee is Michael A. Leant; the second appointee's name was not clear in the recording. Both were confirmed on roll call.
Members also asked the Department of Public Works traffic division to improve warnings at three stop signs on Rice Street — a three-way stop at Mark Drive and four-way stops at Archer and Weldon. The member raising it said constituents report drivers running the signs in an area with many young children, and asked for plates marking the stops as three-way or four-way, advance "stop ahead" signage, and painted white stop lines. The motion asks the DPW director to act if the division agrees and to report back.
What's next
The board and council voted to move their meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 — a statewide primary election day — to Thursday, September 10, at the regular times. Several license matters, including the hearing on 249 Main Street and the auto repair shop hearing, are set for the first meeting in September.