Abington Select Board Approves Outdoor Dining Policy and Giordano's Temporary License

ABINGTON -- May 11, 2026, Abington Select Board voted unanimously on all items Monday, approving a temporary outdoor dining and alcohol policy for the 2026 season and immediately issuing the first license under it to Giordano's at 497 Bedford Street. Town Manager Michael told the board the policy, which runs Memorial Day through Indigenous Peoples Day and bars outdoor entertainment under temporary permits, was expedited to help restaurants add outdoor seating without the Planning Board's full site plan review; any restaurant not acting this year will be expected to go through that process in 2027. The board also appointed Danielle Connelly to the Commission on Disabilities, adopted the state Recycling Dividend Grant Program ahead of a Thursday deadline, and formally accepted a mostly submerged parcel at Island Grove, Parcel B on Center Avenue, deeded to the town by Abington Investments LLC under a May 4 Town Meeting authorization. In his manager's update, Michael disclosed that an RFP for two deteriorating former school buildings goes live May 20 on COMMBUYS and closes June 19, with asbestos remediation costs estimated at roughly $1 million per building falling to any developer, and that Allstate Waste has been awarded the new trash-hauling contract as low bidder.