The Springfield Select Board voted Monday night to deny a liquor license renewal for the historic Hartness House Inn due to nonpayment of property taxes.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130410/NEWS02/704109957
Town denies Hartness House Inn owners liquor license renewal
By Susan Smallheer
Staff Writer | April 10,2013
Rutland Herald
The Springfield Select Board voted Monday night to deny a liquor license renewal for the historic Hartness House Inn due to nonpayment of property taxes.
SPRINGFIELD — The owners of the historic Hartness House Inn were denied a renewal of its liquor license Monday by the Springfield Select Board for nonpayment of property taxes.
The Select Board voted 4-0 to deny the renewal, which takes effect May 1, because Windsor Partners LLC owes the town more than $20,110 in property taxes.
The delinquent amount covers the first three quarters of the 2012-13 tax year, according to Town Clerk Meredith Kelley. The next tax payment is due May 15.
The Select Board had routinely approved several first and second class licenses Monday evening, meeting as the town’s liquor control commission, but Town Manager Robert Forguites, joined by Kelley and Jeffrey Mobus, the town’s finance director, held a quick, private conference, and came back into the meeting with the recommendation that Windsor Partners’ request for a new hotel liquor license not be renewed.
The tax bill is actually in the name of Spring Valley Partners Corp., a 2008 Vermont corporation formed by Alex Leonenko and Alla Dzugaeva, who have owned the historic inn since July 2003.
According to tax liens on file at the Springfield town clerk’s office, the federal government has also filed two liens against Windsor Partners for $12,436 and $3,790. Other liens, filed by the state of Vermont, have been paid and released.
The Hartness House Inn was built in 1903-04 by former Gov. James Hartness as his private home. Hartness, who was president of the Jones & Lamson Machine Tool Co., and held more than 120 U.S. patents on machine tool innovations, was governor from 1921-23. He was also an early proponent of aviation, and helped establish the first airport in Vermont in Springfield, which became Hartness State Airport.
In the 1950s, the home was purchased by the major machine tool manufacturers in Springfield and established as a hotel for visiting executives. It has been owned by a series of private owners in recent years. Is is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hartness Telescope and Observatory were built in 1910, which are located on the lawn of the inn.
A message left for Leonenko and Dzugaeva at the Hartness House was not returned Tuesday. The inn hosted Gov. Peter Shumlin on Monday at a meeting of the Springfield Rotary Club.
Leonenko and Dzugaeva previously had owned the Red Oak Inn in West Dover, but sold the bed and breakfast in 2002.
Holy crap, $26,813 annual tax liability against a property that's struggling to keep its head above water. Now drive the last nail in their coffin by effectively shutting down their guest dining.
ReplyDeleteFolks, there's a good reason no business is seeking to expand or relocated in Springfield. You can thank your town leaders that approve obscene budgets selfishly approved by legions of parasites. Parasites indifferent to those that fund their lifestyle. Yet these same parasites then complain why no jobs exist and their children have to leave to earn a decent living.
Oh, and I'm sure the Rotary Club and Gov. Scumlin all extolled accolades on the Hartness House hosting their event this week. Yet none of them will take a stand to curtail the exorbitant taxes killing their host.
There's a school budget revote within the next few weeks. Open you eyes and look around to what burdensome taxation has done to this community. No one wants to do business here. Take a stand and say enough's, enough. Vote NO.
pay your bill and then u can sell booze..........
DeleteThis is too bad! Before the corporate raider destroyed J & L Springfield and Hartness House were very enjoyable for the worldwide mfg. Community. "Precision Valley" may be gone forever. Signed Gerald from Oklahoma
Delete@Anon 7:15:
ReplyDeleteYou can't be serious! How do you think voting down the SCHOOL budget has any effect on what the TOWN is doing? I know it's confusing for some, but they really are separate. Vote no on the TOWN budget not the SCHOOL budget! Holy crap- let's at least keep the issues straight!
And by the way, I do agree that the town is probably out of line withholding that license.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it's a yearly tax bill, as long as it's paid by the end of the year, it should not be considered 'late'.
To take such actions before the year is even up seems short-sighted and anti-business. I wonder if they even talked with the owners before making this 'secret meeting' decision. And, aren't those meetings supposed to be public?
This town has so many problems- this just adds to the image (real or not) that business is not welcome. Not smart.
Pay your taxes like everybody else and shut up
ReplyDelete^yes, sheep. Do it because everybody else is. That is the best reason to do anything.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you disagree, just shut up.
That's how our country was built.
Karma!
ReplyDeleteLooks like Leonenko and Dzugaeva don't belong to the Springfield Elites Club. Outsiders must bow to the elites and pay up or forfeit their equity!
ReplyDeleteI think it can be worked out.
ReplyDeleteI realize Springfield residents must pay taxes but we also need to keep our businesses open.
Use some brains folks ,it isnt like we have a lot of quality dining and hotel options here in town.
Black Rock and Hole in the Hill are great places to eat! The Hartness house was way overpriced! Unless it was a special occasion I have never gone in there. Has anyone ever heard any advertisement for the Hartness house?
DeleteWow, I bet all the other dining establishments in town must Love your comment. I have had some really good meals at 56 Main St. and Black Rock and wonderful quick but delicious meals at The Subway......Don't throw out the baby with the bath water...
DeleteI'm waiting to buy it at tax sale and turn it into Section Eight housing. Think I'm kidding? Just wait and see.
ReplyDeleteit's best that we shut down this type of business, it does not fit the image of springfield. If they owe money it makes perfect sense to prevent this business from making any more money. I will be glad to pay more property taxes to make up the difference. kudos to springfield for another job well done - another property to add to the vacant dilapidated list. lets get started with incinerating the forest...
ReplyDeleteReally, really bad move. This is punishment, not enforcement. And the tax year has not even ended. Did these (what do you want to call them??) 'town leaders' even bother to talk to the owners? Another black eye for Springfield. And believe me, in my short time here it is painfully obvious that Springfield does not need any more black eyes.
ReplyDeleteDo you think if you couldn't afford to put gas in your car the gas station will just look the other way?
Deleteanon 10:12- that does not make any sense, Comparing a car and gas station to a business property and town?
Delete-You can't easily 'drive' to another town with your house/business.
-You can't choose to walk more/ carpool/ telecommute/ride your bike/take the bus less to save money and the environment.
-You can't choose to buy a 'lower tax' (gas guzzling) option.
-You can't opt for electric and skip the gas station more.
And, here's the clincher: the gas station simply does not rely on your single car to provide a significant portion of it's income. Even if you do ALL the things listed above, it will probably have little impact on the station owner.
However, if everyone started doing those things...well, that's a different story. And, that's kind of the situation this town is in now- - the station owner/ town officials need to get a grip on the realities of this community-
- start communicating with people-
- start acting as though they might actually care and want people and business to succeed-
- and start making cuts to the overblown/ less services for more money budgets they keep submitting.
Well...maybe the metaphor does make some sense afterall. Just not the way you intended.
Turn this property into Section 8 housing. The current type of business is too classy and upscale for the type of town Springfield has turned into. Anyone who goes there will see mostly out of state plates which does nothing more the bring money into this town. Convert it into the true spirit of Springfield which is low income housing.
ReplyDeletethe commanders should confiscate their customer address list and send notices warning them to stay away. these businesses need to be taught a lesson, bad economy or not. we also need to step up speed traps on the road into town, we need to discourage those flat landers at the source.
ReplyDeletegood job,no one else gets away with it,i agree with this
ReplyDeleteFirst- that's alot in taxes. I struggle to pay my taxes on my business and mine are about 1/4 of that. I don't frequent their restaurant, mainly because I save my money to pay my taxes.
ReplyDeleteSecond- all the muckity mucks in this town who hold their meetings there take note, it's BYOB.
It would seem the Hartness House owners are possibly the latest victims of the Bob Newhart Syndrome: buy a picturesque Vermont inn and run it until the economics of the situation drive you into a hole.
ReplyDeleteThe underlying problem of course is that each previous owner tries to sell it for a profit, which drives the price up and up. What if an entity-- say, a foundation, the town or the county-- owned it in perpetuity, yet sold the management rights to a couple hit with the Bob Newhart bug? They run it as they see fit, make all the money they want to, and leave whenever they feel like it-- they just don't raise the price on the next couple, who then don't go bankrupt trying to live out their dream. Just a thought.
sociallism Chuck
DeleteIt's their business Chuck, they can charge what ever they want.
DeleteI kind of like that idea. Lead the way- organize the people and find the cash! If they don't pay by the end of the year, I'm sure it will go immediately into tax sale (that's how we do it here).
DeleteSure, they'll have a year to pay up, but with that much in taxes, they could just walk away. I'd much rather see a local org pay the tax bill and earn the interest on the money than the out of staters who use it as a way to get rich doing nothing. (oops- I mean 'investing')
better yet .......isnt there some grant money where we could "rehab" some excons and have them work there?
DeleteThere are a few posters here on this blog that would think thats a good idea.
I dont.
it's not a crazy thought. many towns lease out their town owned golf courses for private management. the taxes get paid and the course draws people. not all capitalism is cut and dried. some enterprises need help and it benefits the community. that inn is a nice place and it could be the image of springfield.
DeleteARRGH!! The dreaded s-o-c-i-a-li-s-m!!!! Nothing like a scary word to turn off the power of thought.
ReplyDeleteIf people are going broke because they can't afford to run an inn that cost them too much in the first place, it makes sense to make it affordable to them so they can PAY THEIR TAXES! One of the ways to do that is SELL them the right to manage the place-- and they can charge whatever they want, but not be burdened by having bought an unaffordable elephant. Suddenly the Bob Newhart fantasy becomes an affordable reality-- and when they decide they've lived it long enough, they walk away with the money they made. And the next couple who wants to live the dream steps in. If a pubic entity, such as the town, owns it, the public has a voice in who runs it-- no Russian oligarchs, thank you (like the one who bought a professional sports team (basketball?) in New Jersey).
Been outside the box so long it seems like inside to me....
Chuck, you are in the box more than most.
DeleteAYour socialism ideas are not going to work here. Move to California and leave us alone .
they owe that much.....put it up for tax sale......
ReplyDeleteI, for one, will be contacting the owners to see if they would like to sell the property, because I would like to re-develop the property as a personal care home for the elderly. It is a great property for that. there is a great need for it in the area, the funding is available from HUD and the government because of the basic financial basis of the majority of elderly in the community. I look forward to the support of the community.
ReplyDeleteHahahahahaha!!!!
DeleteGet Chuck to help you apply for grants and such. He is good at it.Just ask him, no wait a day he will tell you without asking.
DeleteMaybe Springfield on the Dole can donate the $20,000 annual stipend that voters awarded them on election day to aid the cause.
ReplyDeleteYou have to question the business discipline of the Hartness House anyway. Several months ago we inquired about holding a function there for a small to medium sized group, but they could not have been less interested in wanting to accommodate us. We sought nothing unique, just regular items off their published menu. There were no other competing events being hosted. They simply couldn't be bothered to make the effort to support us. This is not the Hartness House of old.
ReplyDeleteAs a despised flatlander and out-of-stater who has been coming to Springfield for over 40 years, this is both a shame and a bit of Karma. I've eaten at the Inn, and stayed there a couple of times. Last time I stayed there was probably 14 or 15 years ago. My stay was horrible. The rooms (in the annex) were shabby, the bed was uncomfortable, and it was overpriced. The place is historically significant, and thus attractive to visitors. Properly run, it should flourish. But the attitude expressed above is the attitude I ran into, and sometimes businesses fail because they were managed to fail.
ReplyDeleteAll this aside, a property tax of $500 a week does seem a tad high. But I don't run a business, and I'm not a Vermonter, so I don't know if that tax is typical or not. All in all, its a shame, but you can't expect the town to support a business that doesn't pay their taxes. All things must pass.
Shame, was just there for the Steampunk festival. Just a shame to see such a historic town, full of history, memory, and spirit just die a slow painful death such as it is. I don't know who owns Hartness House, who the town elected officials are, and candidly, I don't care, but I do hope that events such as the Steampunk festival can help revitalize the industry in such a beautiful part of New England. Thank you Sabrina and the event coordinators and the residents of Springfield for such a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDelete