STURBRIDGE – In a vote that moved Pioneer Brewing one step closer to relocating to Main Street, selectman awarded the business 1,300 gallons of water and sewer per day at the Sturbridge Marketplace, the operation’s newly proposed headquarters.
Previously, board members allocated 2,867 gallons-per-day at the old Basketville building, owner Todd Sullivan’s first relocation choice. The brewery is currently located on Arnold Road in Sturbridge.
Last Tuesday, selectmen voted to rescind the gallons at the first site.
Sullivan said the new site is better suited to his business and will receive financial backing from the building’s landlord.
“I think the building is great and I think the building was made for us,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan noted the owner had approached him three years earlier about possibly moving into the building. While the Basketville plan fell through because of the “super high cost” for renovations, he said, the new location appeared to be a better fit.
He said there would be little in the way of renovations needed, as the site is already handicap accessible and holds a sprinkler system for fire prevention. More importantly, the 14,000-square-foot-space would allow his company to expand.
“Our intent is to grow to become a regional brewery,” Sullivan said. The plan includes selling Pioneer Brewing products up and down the northern East Coast. He told selectmen he wanted the brewery to become a destination for tourists.
Closer to home, Sullivan said the operation would act as an “anchor” for the building and by extension the commercial tourist district. And the plan will be a long-term one, he said, noting that in talks with the landlord a 20-year lease was being considered.
Other plans include making the brewing tanks visible to the public. Also planned, a partnership with Marketplace tenant Soup to Nuts.
Town Administrator Shaun Suhoski described the move as “a pretty exciting plan.” Selectmen voted four in favor of the sewer allocation. Selectwoman Mary Dowling was absent.