Williamstown Board Lifts Condemnation Order on Residence
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Board of Health on Tuesday rescinded an order of condemnation for a residence on Longview Terrace after praising the work done by the owner's family to make the home habitable.
Health Inspector Ruth Russell reported to the board that she was satisfied with the improvements made by Raymond MacWhinnie of New Hampshire on the home occupied by his mother, Linda.
In February, Russell told the board that issues ranging from rodent activity to hoarding made the home unsafe for the elder MacWhinie, and the board agreed, ordering the property to be vacated.
Russell said Raymond MacWhinnie had been in contact with her at least monthly and sometimes weekly since then, and her reinspection of the home on May 16 was satisfactory.
"I was extremely impressed with the progress that was made," Russell said Tuesday morning. "They are on, I believe, their 10th roll-off. They've been clearing items off and doing an insanely good job.
"I can't explain how much they've been able to remove from the property."
Russell walked the board members step by step through her original condemnation order and pointed out how nearly all of the deficiencies have been addressed.
One exception was a requirement that a handrail be installed on a back stairway, but Russell told the board she agreed with Raymond MacWhinnie's request for temporary relief from that requirement while work continues on the property.
"This handrail not being there is helpful with them moving items into and out of the house right now," Russell said. "Having a handrail there could hinder them being able to move things in and out the back of the house. That was on request of Raymond's that I found reasonable, that they hold off on installing the handrail."
MacWhinnie told the board that he agreed the handrail needs to go up eventually but noted his mother never uses the back door of the house and the entry in question.
A major concern in the inspection that preceded the condemnation order was the amount of material piled up in rooms that would make it difficult to get from one part of the house to another in the event of an emergency.
"My first time in the house, you could not walk from the front door to the secondary egress due to the kitchen," Russell said. "Now you can easily walk between the rooms. The kitchen is fully cleared of what was in there. And Raymond confirms to me that the oven and refrigerator are operational at this time.
"Stacks of bins and food that looked like it was attracting potential rodents have been mitigated. And egress is absolutely better. You can move in and out of every room in the house now, including the kitchen,"
Russell said MacWhinnie has done a good job setting and cleaning out rodent traps and contracted with an exterminator that has reported the property is now rodent free.
MacWhinnie told the board that he is now the owner of the home and plans to live there with his mother on a part-time basis.
Chair Win Stuebner asked MacWhinnie if his mother understands that her previous pattern of hoarding cannot be repeated.
"We have family mental health challenges to manage going forward," MacWhinnie said. "We're now in a position to successfully manage the challenges we have going forward."
These family dynamics are complicated," board member Sandra Goodbody told MacWhinnie. "I would like to thank you for stepping forward and being thoughtful about how to proceed."
"I'm happy to move that we lift the condemnation order," Devan Bartels said moments later, "acknowledging all the work that has been done, which is impressive, and all the work that remains going forward."
The board voted, 5-0, to rescind the order.
It also on Tuesday received updates from Russell on two Cold Spring Road (Route 7) businesses.
The owners of the 6 House Pub continue to wait for approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection for a new well on their property. In the meantime, the restaurant continues to operate under a boil water order.
And the town is waiting for the owner of the Stay Berkshires motel to complete repairs needed to warrant a reinspection that would lead to a restoration of the motel's certificate of occupancy, Russell said.
Tuesday's meeting also marked the body's final session with board member Ronald Stant, who is stepping down at the end of his current term. His replacement, Wendy McWeeny, a senior director at the Community Health Acceleration Partnership, was in the audience for the meeting.
"She has experience in both the international and domestic health fields and wants to get more involved with community health," Stuebner said.
Stuebner also took a moment at the end of the meeting to thank Stant for, "many, many years of devoted service to the Board of Health here in Williamstown and in the county."
Tags: BOH, condemned,
