CHARLEMONT — Town Health officials and representatives for the Charlemont Inn were in Springfield Housing Court earlier this week for a hearing about the potential next step.
What they were waiting to learn from Justice Rebekah J. Crampton Kamukala was whether she was satisfied that the owners had made the court-ordered repairs to the historic building, and if not, what might be the next step? It may be placing the historic inn under receivership.
Testimony was given on the inn’s condition, and another hearing, a status review, will be held on Feb. 17 in Greenfield Housing Court.
The inn was built in the 1770s and was in continuous operation from about 1775 until 2011, when it was foreclosed on for back taxes owed to the sewer district. Co-owners Charlotte Dewey and Linda Shimandle got the property back after paying the taxes, but the condition of the unoccupied building failed subsequent building inspections.
In December 2016, Kamukala ordered the owners to complete a Phase 1 renovation by Jan. 13. This involved restoring heat, electricity and plumbing to the kitchen so that it would have running water and an employee bathroom. The work required also included waterproofing the basement, regrading the partially earthen basement floor, roof work, and a thorough cleaning. The estimate of these costs was about $91,000.