The Danvers Select Board on April 15 approved a modification to the seven-day entertainment license for the Berry Tavern, 2 High Street, allowing outdoor entertainment and limited outdoor sound, with the board setting an 11 p.m. cutoff and asking the owner to report back at the end of the year.

Owner Joe Bono, who told the board the restaurant has run live music indoors two nights a week and wanted the option to open windows and use a single speaker for the patio, said he had reached out to nearby residents and offered his cell phone for immediate contact if noise becomes a problem. "If there's a problem, I close the window or whatever," Bono said. "I'll give whatever my cell phone number you call me if I have a problem."

The board heard multiple public comments from neighbors who said indoor music could be heard inside nearby houses and expressed concern about adding outdoor sound. Nick Angelo of 36 Park Street said he could hear current indoor music from inside his home and that he had a 2- and 4-year-old who would be affected once windows are open. A second neighbor, Alan Rooney of 33 Park Street, said the restaurant had previously closed windows after a complaint and was responsive, but that outside entertainment could be different.

Select Board members discussed limits used in prior cases around town, including a 10 p.m. hard stop applied at another venue after repeated complaints. Chair Dan (Select Board Chair) and other members settled on an 11 p.m. maximum for outdoor sound during nights when the tavern offers live music. As part of the approval, board members asked that Mr. Bono: (1) provide a contact protocol for neighbors (Bono offered to provide his cell number); (2) notify the board and neighbors if the tavern holds outdoor live music; and (3) return to the Select Board at the end of the license season with a summary of any complaints and how they were handled.

Bono told the board he had mailed notices to residents within about a 500-foot radius; he said he received one phone call that he handled directly. The board agreed the owner had shown a good-faith effort to reach neighbors prior to the hearing and approved the modification by voice vote. The board also requested the owner voluntarily take decibel readings if outdoor entertainment is held and share results with complainants, a suggestion discussed by members though not adopted as a formal condition.

The board's action authorizes outdoor entertainment as requested, with the operational limit that outdoor sound must end by 11:00 p.m., and with the owner expected to respond promptly to complaints and report back to the Select Board at the end of the season.

Two select members emphasized that the approval could be revisited if complaints prove persistent. "If it didn't happen, then we go to the next," said a board member during the hearing, referencing the board's ability to modify or rescind permissions if necessary.

Votes and formal motion: the Select Board moved to approve the application of 2 High Street Tavern, Inc., d/b/a The Berry Tavern, Joseph Bono, owner, for a modification to a seven-day entertainment license to add outdoor entertainment with hours capped at 11 p.m.; motion carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition.