‘At some point, you have to draw the line’: Select Board issues deadline for The Woods documents

The Select Board issued an ultimatum to the Friends of the Josiah Smith Tavern last Thursday, demanding in-depth documents and financial information concerning construction of The Woods restaurant. According to the letter sent by the Select Board, if those demands are not met by July 6, it will terminate the lease.

“There is no restaurant, nor has there been any substantive work to fit out the Josiah Smith Tavern for use as such, and the Friends are not paying rent,” the letter reads. “Absent production of the documents requested in the timeframe set forth, and renewed faith in the Friends’ ability to see this project to completion, the Select Board intends to terminate the master lease with the Friends.”

The letter to the Friends – the nonprofit organization leasing the building from the town – lists six demands for the organization and restaurateur Brian Piccini. The first is a request for complete construction documents, which the Select Board and Planning Board have asked for several times. The Permanent Building Committee has also criticized the current construction documents’ lack of details. 

Coverage on the Josiah Smith Tavern

President of the Friends Jay Valenta said he understands why the Select Board is frustrated and that all sides involved, including the project team, can take accountability. 

“It was not a huge surprise. I had sensed that this was coming. That said, I don’t think the tone of the letter reflects the process that’s ongoing and the work that’s been committed to the process so far,” Valenta said.

Piccini echoed Valenta’s thoughts, adding that his primary challenge has been communicating with various boards working across town government.

“I’ve been working really hard on this project for two years and I know the Friends have been working really hard for 10 years,” he said on Thursday, June 11. “I’m surprised the Select Board doesn’t know or see the work that has come before me and been done on this project. I think it comes down to communication.”

The Friends sent a response letter on Monday, June 9, saying construction documents were completed June 5 and will be sent to the Permanent Building Committee and building inspector once they are finalized. 

In an April 24 letter to the editor, Valenta said construction documents had been completed. In a follow up interview this week, he said the documents submitted earlier were “permit-level” documents that were around 80% complete, and that the new documents were fully complete.

As of Tuesday, June 9, Valenta said he had not seen the full plans because Piccini was still working on final details. As of June 11, full construction documents have been sent to the town.

The Select Board’s letter also states that by not opening the restaurant or making substantive progress within an agreed upon time, the nonprofit had not held up its end of the lease, and “under a plain reading of the master lease, the Friends is in default.”

The master lease, signed in March 2024, says the restaurateur would need to begin operations within a year. Lease documents also require BUWest, Piccini’s LLC, to begin paying rent a year after the restaurant’s liquor license was authorized in March 2024.

The letter states Weston is incurring “significant expenses associated with the property.” According to the Town Manager Leon Gaumond’s office, Weston has spent at least $89,410 on the tavern’s expenses during the 2026 fiscal year. Gaumond said the Friends are meant to cover operating and maintenance costs. When a bill comes to Town Hall, it gets forwarded to the Friends. If the cost is so high the Friends can’t pay it, the town covers it. 

“To be fair to the friends, they have been paying for the bills that they can. They do collect the rent from three non-profit groups that are there,” Gaumond said. “For those [bills] that they cannot cover, if it is too high, they let us know and we pay the bill. We keep a tally for what that is.”

The Select Board also asked for proof of financial security in the demand letter. At an Oct. 28 Select Board meeting, then-Chair Lise Revers requested financial information from Piccini.  Valenta said at the time the group was not obligated to share Piccini’s financial information. He and George Hanson, a fellow member of the Friends, said they reviewed Piccini’s financial records in 2024.

Valenta said he remains confident in Piccini’s ability to complete the project.

“What I’m concerned with is that Brian is moving diligently through construction, spending money and meeting with multiple consultants every week,” he said. “That is evidence to me that Brian is 100% committed to this project.”

Additional demands outlined in the letter include providing cost estimates, a comprehensive business plan, a permitting memorandum detailing all approvals required for the project and a detailed timeline for amending the historic deed restriction.

Piccini said a full timeline cannot be made until approvals from the town, including a variance for parking, are given.

“If we don’t have [final variance approval] from [the Zoning Board of Appeals], we can’t do anything,” he said. “We can’t swing a hammer until that is done so we are trying to get things done.”

Piccini said he believes the restaurant can still open sometime in the fall if his team and the town are able to work together.

“From my first meeting three years ago, they’ve asked me if I can get this done. I feel that pressure,” Piccini said. “I’ve been trying my hardest as a resident and as someone who wants to revitalize this space. I’m doing everything in my power to get that done, and I hope I have support from the town and all the various boards to get this done.”

Select Board Chair John McDonald said the letter gives Piccini a final opportunity to meet the Board’s requirements, despite missing several milestones.

“Over the course of more than a year, he [Brian Piccini] has repeatedly missed deadlines and made little progress in terms of the restaurant,” he said in an interview after the letter was sent. “If you’re surprised by this letter, you shouldn’t be.”

In September, the board requested Piccini submit a written timeline and a budget. At the follow-up meeting in October, Valenta and Piccini said no budget could be set before construction plans were finalized. 

According to the Friends’ letter, cost estimates will be calculated based on full construction documents. Those estimates, as well as a timeline, the letter states, will be completed by the July 6 deadline. Restaurant construction costs will be covered by Piccini and his company BU West.

As the long-running effort to reuse the tavern goes on, McDonald said the Select Board’s letter comes after months of frustration.

“We wanted to give him, not one more time, really, but several more times to see if he would make significant progress and respond to some of the issues we’ve raised in those meetings,” McDonald said. “Finally, at some point, you have to draw the line.”