DALTON, Mass. — The dilapidated house at 27 Mountain View Terrace may have an interested buyer.
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, but because of family emergencies, they have been unable to complete all the needed work.
Neighbors claim that rats have infested their homes, coming from the "abandoned" property and the unkept grass in the back yard.
Although some of the work has stalled, Steele and Winterstein say they have been in contact with a "serious buyer" interested in purchasing and renovating the home.
"He's purchased properties before and done this type of [renovation,] so he's experienced in it," Winterstein told the Board of Health last week.
She described him as a "serious" investor with a "serious" offer and said a "serious" discussion is underway.
The interested buyer is putting together a purchase and sale agreement. If they come to an agreement between schedules, attorneys, and state requirements, it would take 30 to 45 days to finalize.
Board Chair Robert Kinzer directed Winterstein to share this agreement with them when they receive it.
Since the last meeting, Winterstein said her aunt placed rodent traps on the property and will send the locations to Health Agent Agnes Witkowski so she can follow up.
A landscaper they hired came to the house and wanted cash on demand for "five times what they" quoted, she said.
Steele attempted to continue the yard clearing but could not get a lot of it done because of health concerns and doctor's orders for bed rest. Steele was unable to attend the meeting because of this.
"I really had hoped to be much further ahead of the game before this, but I did not expect what happened to me throughout this last month. It was very, very overwhelming," Winterstein said.
"I will admit, I know that this is a very serious situation, and we have to deal with it, and we are in a time constraint. But I literally was not in a place to do much for most of the month of July and [now part of] August."
They had also hired a contractor who submitted a permit to complete work on the home, but because of family emergencies, the permit went unpaid.
Winterstein said some family members will fly out for the Labor Day weekend help get things moving. They plan to take over the yard waste project, pest control, and emptying of the home and garage.
"They could take care of those immediate needs right then and there, which would then set up for the rest to actually fall into place," she said.
The contractor's plan would be to demolish the roof, the moldy interior drywall, the porch, and all of the yard waste in one demo. Then, when that is done he would renovate the interior.
The contractor said he preferred someone with more experience to complete the roofing part of the project.
Board member Cindy Geyer said it is helpful to know that there is a two-week time frame within which action will be taken on most of the neighbors' concerns.
"I know they've been waiting patiently and anxious to get things taken care of, but having a plan in place, at least for those most important ones, is helpful," she said.
Kinzer said he understands why not much action has not been taken the last six weeks but he still wants to see some movement to alleviate some of the smaller issues that concern the neighbors.
Winterstein agreed and said the board has been fair to them.
He also recommended that they plan ahead by contacting Orkin pest control to see if they can have someone come out on the Friday after Labor Day because the yard work should be done by then.
Although the board understands the delay, the neighbors have serious concerns. The board agreed to hold of condemning the property until its next meeting but is requiring the family submit a written plan with signed contracts.
