Town to get $140,000 in back taxes

By Lloyd Garrison

Driving by Greenwoods Theater these days, don’t be surprised if you see window cleaners hard at work beneath a string of newly placed hanging plants over the front terrace. Both are signs that the court challenges that kept new owner Dan Hincks from taking possession of the building have finally been resolved in his favor. After the state appellate court and the county court rejected last-ditch legal appeals by Maura Cavanagh and Greenwoods Associates, the Farmington-based businessman and the Town of Norfolk finally closed on the building on June 14. The town will be getting a windfall of close to $140,000 in back taxes, including interest.

A week before the closing, Hincks obtained court approval to enter the building and assess the damage from flooding after frozen water pipes burst late last winter. He was accompanied by an engineer, a sprinkler specialist, an electrician and a general contractor.

“There was some considerable water damage to the lower level,” says Hincks. “Upon inspection, we learned we would need new sprinkler heads. But the electrician said he was ready to turn on the lights and the engineer said the building was structurally sound. I felt pretty good about that, and we decided to go ahead with the closing.”

Once the town is paid, there will be legal fees owed to the court appointed lawyer who oversaw the foreclosure. When the building went up for auction, Hincks emerged the winner with a high bid of $240,000. Next in line will be an elevator installer who contends he was insufficiently compensated. Other vendors who took part in the impressive but costly renovation may come forward with claims. Once these have been settled, there may be money left for the building’s former owners. Whatever the final figure, it will be only a fraction of what was spent painstakingly restoring the structure, which was built in 1882.

Asked about his first impression upon entering the interior, Hincks replied, “it seemed almost surreal. It was even more beautiful than I had imagined.”

Hincks says he has no plans for any major changes, but noted that the theater has a very lively sound. “This is not good for amplified performances,” he says. “We need to control and absorb some of that sound and we are getting acoustical professionals to come to look into that.”

He estimates that the earliest he will be ready to present live performances will be some time in the fall.

Photo, top, of Greenwoods Theater, by Lloyd Garrison.