By STEPHEN SEITZ
Special to the Eagle Times
BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. — The abandoned Hetty Green Motel on Route 5 and what to do about it took up the attention of the Bellows Falls trustees and Rockingham selectmen at their joint board meeting on Tuesday night.
“The Hetty Green property is in the village,” Municipal Manager Wendy Harrison told the boards. “I’m bringing it to both boards’ attention because the town often ends up with tax delinquent properties.”
Currently, the 1.5 acre property is in legal limbo. The village is owed years of back taxes, which it couldn’t collect due to a bankruptcy proceeding, and then owner Marie Zdunek died.
Neither of her heirs wants the derelict property, so no one knows who actually owns it. Harrison said she has begun tax delinquency action.
“It would be good if we had a more organized process,” Harrison said.
Trustee Jonathan Wright said he would like to see more current information on the building’s condition.
“We need to get some eyes on it,” he said. “It could be a health hazard for abutters.”
“There’s no one to deliver a letter to,” Harrison replied. “We have to decide whether to spend legal money when there’s so small a chance for recovery.”
One thing, Jonathan Wright said, was bound to happen.
“It’s almost certain we’ll have to tear it down,” he said. “We’re going to have to deal with the back taxes. We’re going to need to do something, unfortunately.”
Trustee James McAuliffe wanted to know why the back tax situation hasn’t been resolved long before now.
“If people don’t pay their back taxes, either we should go after them aggressively, or do something with the property,” he said.
Harrison suggested contacting the heirs.
“They may be willing to donate it,” she said.
Trustee Gary Lique said, “We just don’t have the money to put into this.”
The boards did not take any action.
What they did take action on was to renew the health insurance plans the town and village employees receive from Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Vermont.
The selectmen voted to keep everything as is, but McAuliffe wanted more time to examine the reimbursement rates. He left the reimbursement rates out of his motion to adopt the plans again.
Action needed to be taken because the enrollment period beings Nov. 1, but the reimbursement rates don’t go into effect until January.
“This is the most expensive plan I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I think we should make the reimbursement rate one dollar. This way, we’ll make our concerns known to the insurance company.”
Selectwoman Susan Hammond, who attended by telephone, did not think that was a good idea
“The unions would be on the phone tomorrow,” she said.
The joint boards meet again toward the end of January.
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