GREENFIELD — Friday’s Housing Court date became another negotiating session for the co-owner of the Charlemont Inn and town Board of Health officials, as Phase 1 of the renovation of the historic structure nears completion.
Co-owner Charlotte Dewey has already applied for a catering permit, to set up a business in the partially renovated inn, which was built in the 1770s. But the kitchen section of the building must meet state sanitation codes before it can be used commercially.
To bring Phase 1 of the inn renovation up to state sanitation codes, Dewey is to finish humidifier and drainage systems in the cellar, along with some additional roof repairs. Dewey said afterward, that she hopes to finish these projects over the next 15 days.
Within 60 days, Dewey is to submit an updated plan for bringing the entire inn into compliance with the state sanitation code. A 90-day status review of the inn’s progress will be held in Housing Court on Aug. 25.
Recently, inn owners Dewey and Linda Shimandle were warned the building will be disconnected from sewer service provided by the Charlemont Sewer District for past-due sewer bills of at least $19,000, including late fees and penalties.
Discussion of past-due sewer bills was not part of Friday’s court negotiations, but Dewey said she is planning to contact the Sewer District regarding the past-due payments.
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 late 2015, the Board of Health took the Charlemont Inn owners to Housing Court and asked that the historic building be placed into receivership, so that the run-down building could be restored by investors before it fell into ruin.
That request is still pending as Dewey has slowly made court-ordered improvements.