PITTSFIELD — The Tavern at the A is a step closer to reopening with a liquor license. On Monday afternoon, the Licensing Board granted the restaurant a weekday entertainment license and signed off on the transfer of a liquor license previously held by House of Seasoning, which closed in March 2024. But before any toasts can be made, the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) needs to approve the transfer to make it official. The Tavern, located on the General Electric Athletic Association (GEAA) golf course at 303 Crane Ave., closed last summer under previous owner Hailey Satrape. Satrape, who held the restaurant’s liquor license in her name, has been unreachable and did not file any of the required documents to transfer the license, which has now been surrendered to the state. Jim Mitus, the former owner of Skyline Country Club and past operator of the Tavern at the A, will return as the restaurant’s new owner and official manager, following the Licensing Board’s approval. Although the restaurant was initially slated to open in May, Mitus said the building has been unable to pass inspection due to issues with the sprinkler system. He is hopeful that repairs scheduled for Wednesday will allow him to reopen for food service while awaiting final approval of the liquor license. Once the tavern is up and running, Mitus said he plans to use the entertainment license to host an acoustic band once a week and a larger band once a month, in addition to private functions that may bring in their own DJs or performers. While Mitus is seeking permission to host entertainment every day except Sunday from noon to 1 a.m., he said music wouldn’t typically start until 8 p.m., with acoustic acts starting even earlier. That helped ease the concerns of neighbors like Christine Adams of Clark Road, who said she has dealt with noise issues under previous operators. “I live right down on the third hole," she told the Licensing Board, "and I don't care what music is playing, it just echoes all the way down.” Back in 2021, Adams helped negotiate a compromise with the tavern’s previous owner that limited live entertainment to Monday through Wednesday from 1 to 10 p.m., Thursdays until 11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays until 1 a.m. “Everybody remembers the A back in the '80s and '90s, when every Friday and Saturday they had bands until 2 o'clock in the morning. That's not what we're trying to do,” Mitus said. “But sometimes you have a function that wants to bring in entertainment… and then people kind of like [acoustic music] on Friday night.” Thomas Campoli, chairman of the Licensing Board, noted that the previous license held by Satrape was surrendered to the board on April 30. As a result, the city has permanently lost a liquor license. Since Pittsfield passed up a state offer to remove liquor license limits four decades ago and it’s already over its population-based cap of 46 all-alcohol licenses, it can’t issue any new ones.