EDIC Reaches Two-Year Lease Renewal Agreement With The Station Grill
The Falmouth EDIC has reached a lease renewal agreement with chef John Marcellino, owner of The Station Grill on Depot Avenue.
EDIC executive director Wayne Lingafelter said the lease for the establishment has been renewed through the end of December 2023 as of last week, putting an end to any qualms over the potential loss of a restaurant so loved by the community.
“I think the reason we got the extension is because of the people of Falmouth, the visitors, and the summer residents that spoke up on our behalf,” Mr. Marcellino said in a phone call. “I feel that the EDIC is meeting me halfway in trying to solve this problem [and] I think that the two-year extension is a beginning.”
The issue first arose in September, when the EDIC discussed a potential request for proposals for the property as required by Massachusetts state procurement laws. A handful of residents, including Mr. Marcellino, attended the meeting to voice their support for The Station Grill. The discussion of lease renewal was the subject of numerous executive sessions for the EDIC board, but the resolution is one that Mr. Lingafelter thinks will please the eatery’s supporters.
“I think the community will be pleased to hear that Chef John is going to remain in place,” he said. “I’m pleased with [it] and I think it creates some stability there.”
Mr. Marcellino said his goal is still to obtain a long-term lease for The Station Grill.
“I think it’s a good beginning, but my wife and I are never going to be completely comfortable and satisfied as a partner until we get a long-term lease,” he said. “I think that we deserve [it] but more importantly, I think the people of Falmouth have really spoken. I think they think we deserve it as well. So that’s what I’m striving for; I will be happy when I finally get a long-term lease. I look at this two-year period as a time to begin the process of putting [one] together.”
In addition to expressing gratitude for the patrons of The Station Grill and the people of Falmouth, Mr. Marcellino said that the support from EDIC board members has been helpful. Specifically, it was the leadership of EDIC board chairman Christopher Land that proved to be both supportive and productive during the process, he said.
“I think his leadership over this thing was very helpful to my wife and me,” Mr. Marcellino said. “I definitely feel that his leadership is what’s getting us moving in the right direction on this thing. I think he’s a good thing for Falmouth and he’s definitely proved that to me and my wife.”
Now that the lease renewal is sorted out, The Station Grill is secure at 59 Depot Avenue through the end of 2023. Between now and then, though, there will likely be renovations and maintenance done at the bus station, which Mr. Lingafelter mentioned at the EDIC’s meeting on Tuesday, January 18.
The board had previously discussed community preservation committee money being used for brick and exterior renovations at the station. Currently, the board is gathering the necessary vendor information needed in association with the CPC grants for exterior renovation work on the station prior to April Town Meeting, where it will be voted on, Mr. Lingafelter said.
“We’ve got to manage the busy season around the station, of course, but we want to be in a position to be able to get that work started as quickly as possible given the limited time that we’ll have to do this,” Mr. Lingafelter said.
Mr. Lingafelter also addressed the need for a sign replacement in the wake of a minor accident late in December, when a woman drove over the curb and knocked down one of the signs for the station. Luckily no one was injured, he said, and an insurance claim has been filed.
“We got an estimate from Locust Street Signs last week,” he said. “Lynne [Broderick] and I are in the process of processing that claim, and then we’ll move on to actually having the work done as quickly as we can.”