NORWAY — The Opera House eminent domain case has been delayed again until late spring or early summer.
Town Manager David Holt said the proceeding in Oxford County Superior Court that will determine how much money the town must pay previous owner Barry Mazzaglia of Bitim Enterprises in Londonderry, N.H., for taking the historic Main Street building may not happen until May or June.
“The expert witnesses on both sides have conflicting schedules,” Holt said Wednesday. “It’s frustrating and disappointing not to have this over.”
Last year, voters authorized the Board of Selectmen to initiate steps to take the Opera House property by eminent domain after a portion of the roof collapsed on Sept. 21, 2007. That collapse severed a sprinkler pipe which flooded first-floor businesses and compromised the stability of the three-story brick building in the heart of the downtown.
Last October, the town and Bitim Enterprises failed to reach a settlement agreement and instead agreed to a non-jury proceeding in Oxford County Superior Court in Paris.
The case had been scheduled for January, then was delayed until late March.
Court officials said Wednesday that a call between the attorneys was made on March 7, but no specific court date was established at that time.
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