DALTON, Mass. — The Board of Health last Wednesday agreed to extend its vote on condemning 27 Mountain View Terrace to the October meeting. 

 

Roberta Steele and her niece, Kathleen Winterstein, who lives in Utah, have been working since June to develop a plan to address the home's condition. 

 

Steele has been cited several safety issues with the home, including clutter blocking egresses, a collapsing roof and porch, mold throughout the house, especially in the basement where there is water damage, and the lack of water, electricity, and gas. 

 

Neighbors have complained that rats coming from the "abandoned" property have infested their homes.

 

Winterstein has provided the board with invoices and a projected timeline of the work and board Chair Robert Kinzer had wanted to see action, invoices, and a plan by last week's meeting. 

 

"Things do come up and my background is a criminal prosecutor and a defense attorney. It gets suspicious when things are always brought up at the last minute," Kinzer said. 

 

"[When] there's mysterious circumstances, but I haven't seen anything personally that makes me question it, other than the timing of it."