PARIS — The lack of a response from the property owner at 187 Main St. could force The Hydrant restaurant and bar to close.
The restaurant owner, April Harris, went before the Select Board on Monday to renew her liquor license and special entertainment permit. Harris rents space at 187 Main St.
According to board Chairman and Code Enforcement Officer Christopher Summers, there are no issues with the business, but the building owner, Scott Buffington, has failed to provide the required permits with the town and state.
“The building that she is renting space out of is an issue,” Summers said. “It was noted by the town back in March of 2022 that there was construction performed at the building which was not permitted. Any modification of a commercial space 3,000 square feet or larger requires a state permit as well. Neither of which was obtained.”
The town has received no confirmation that the sprinklers are working. Summers also noted that two apartments have reportedly been added to the building, but neither he nor the state have been able to confirm that and check to see if a firewall was added to separate the bedrooms from the business.
Summers added that he sent letters to Buffington on March 16 and Dec. 6, 2022, with no response.
“The town has been completely incapable of obtaining any traction on compliance,” Summers said.
Town Manager Dawn Noyes described the situation as a safety issue, while Selectman Scott McElravy said it was important for the board to back the code enforcement officer.
Since Harris said she received a letter from the state saying her liquor license was good into May, the board voted to approve the special entertainment permit in hopes of getting the issue resolved by then. If not, the board said it would reluctantly be forced to close the business for safety issues.
In other business, Noyes asked the board for permission to spend $4,400 to equip the Town Office and Police Station with high-speed internet service, switching its Spectrum service with the fiber-based GWI, which runs the town’s phone system with no issues. Employees in the Town Office and the Police Department have complained about spotty service, Noyes said.
The board asked Noyes to check other companies to compare prices.
Because towns are looking at an 18- to 24-month delay on all plow truck orders, Highway Director Jamie Hutchinson asked the board to approve the purchase of another plow truck . Since the town sets aside $150,000 per year for plow trucks, the funds would be there when the truck becomes available.
Hutchinson recommended the town purchase a Western Star plow truck instead of a Mac.
Selectman Michael Bailey asked the board to table the measure to give him a chance to study the specs, which the board unanimously approved.
Selectmen have placed a property at 27 Market Square up for bid. It was acquired through a foreclosure from a tax lien. The minimum bid for the home is $2,177.45. The deadline for bids is 10 a.m. March 7.
The town posted a 23,000-pound weight restriction on 39 roads, which began Monday and runs through May 15.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.