CHESHIRE -- Selectmen are finding that determining the future of the Cheshire Inn won't be easy.
A requests for proposals (RFP) for the building were due at Tuesday night's regular meeting, but results proved a light reading load. No proposals were received.
Earlier, Selectmen an nounced that a special town vote to allow the sale of the building scheduled last week for Tuesday, Sept. 18 was unnecessary and the meeting canceled, because they'd received word that the town has the authority to sell a building taken by tax title.
However, as evidenced by the results of the RFP, the problem of finding a buyer remains.
Though the board has performed the necessary steps to unload the building since early this year, Selectwoman Carol Francesconi was unsurprised by the lack of a response.
"It'd be a nice piece of property for the town if we didn't have to tear down the [Cheshire Inn] itself," she said. " ... If it wasn't there, there would have been [many] more people interested in the land."
Selectman Paul Astorino agreed, saying the cost of demolishing and removing the building has been appraised at $40,000 -- a burden too heavy for the town's coffers to bear at this point.
In other business, the town netted an additional $15,000 from the Department of Fish and Game to replace a culvert at Thunder Brook and complete the ongoing dam removal project there, but the project itself may drag on longer than
Town Administrator Mark Webber said the original description of the project provided by the state omitted several contractor requirements, including letters of recommendation and past experience. Due to this, the project may have to be re-bid despite already having five contractors propose.
"Nothing is fatal. The project will move forward," Webber said. "We just need to regroup. ... It may be in everyone's best interest to wait until spring."
Francesconi noted her preference of seeing the project completed before winter. Including the additional $15,000, the town has an $86,000 budget for the project.
Webber also reported that a conference call with Standard and Poor's on Tuesday characterized the town as "in solid fiscal condition" with "solid reserves" that have not fluctuated. The town's bond rating will remain A plus, thanks to this, with Webber adding: "in all likelihood it's not going to change."
To reach Phil Demers, email pdemers@thetranscript.com.
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