EAST WILTON – Following an hour long discussion Tuesday night, selectmen, the Farmington diner owner and neighbors heard that plans for the diner are in the works and all settled on an agreement to have the town’s code enforcement officer inspect the property for the alleged rodent infestation.
A petition signed by 28 residents accused both the diner, moved to the site at the corner of Cemetery Road and Route 2 in March 2008, and the adjacent vacant home Rachel Jackson Hodsdon also owns as being infested with rats. The petition called the situation “unhealthy” for the nearby residential homes and businesses in the area. Among the concerns listed are that the rats may migrate into the surrounding neighborhood, that the structures are unsightly and a flat bed trailer parked on the lot is cause for concern should a vehicle slide into the structure.
Those complaining asked selectmen to order the de-infestation of the buildings to take place immediately and the property’s appearance to be improved either by fixing up the diner and house or removing one or both.
Hodsdon told those at the meeting she still intends to reopen the 1950s diner either at the commercially-zoned, 1.01-acre site in East Wilton or will find another property, possibly back in Farmington. The property now is up for sale for $125,000, listed with Harris Real Estate.
One neighboring business offered $35,000 for the property but Hodsdon said its accessed value is much more than that and couldn’t accept the offer.
“I’m still struggling with the location for the diner,” Hodsdon said today. “I don’t love the location (now); Farmington may be open to it.” During the selectmen’s meeting discussion, she asked her neighbors attending the meeting if they have a problem with the way it looks now, but “would they have a problem with the diner once it’s up and running and they said, ‘no.’ That’s awesome,” she said.
If she were to open the diner on the East Wilton site, her plans would be to raze the house so she said that’s the reason she hasn’t put any maintenance into it, as some criticized. As a community-based project, she wants to renovate the diner back to its shiny silver beginnings and serve locally-produced food, which would benefit area farmers.
In the meantime, Paul Montague, the town’s code enforcement officer will be inspecting the property to see if there are health issues with either structure. As an aside, Hodsdon wonders if the grain fed to the chickens kept nearby may contribute to the rats frequenting the neighborhood.
However, if there is evidence of rodents found in either structure, Hodsdon said, “we’ll take care of the problem. We’ll do whatever is necessary.”
Overall, she said the meeting with the property’s neighbors was good because it opened up communication and understanding. From here, she intends to meet more of her neighbors and she wants to hold diner planning meetings that include her neighbors and anyone who is interested in the project. Those interested can email her at jacksonrm@yahoo.com or call 207-418-0086.
“I was disappointed they didn’t come talk to me first,” Hodsdon said before it got to the point of a petition to selectmen then with the diner, “I want to do a good thing.”
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So glad to see this moving in the right direction and turning down the rhetoric a notch. Rachel Hodsdon has alot on her plate and should be applauded for her efforts to save the diner. I’m certain there are those in Farmington that would love to have a retro diner serving up local foods!
I would hope that if rats are found where the chickens are kept and all the mulch as well as other property it would be “taken” care of as well.
I’m very happy that a group of rational adults, gathered together in one place to discuss their problems, were able to come to amicable terms regarding the Diner and the property. Wouldn’t it be great to see our municipality, Augusta, and even Washington D.C. follow their example?