The letter from the town on the front of the former Trestle Tavern.
SEYMOUR – Eight tenants who were living in a rooming house above the former Trestle Tavern downtown moved out after an inspection found dangerous living conditions within the building.
A letter from Seymour Building Inspector James Baldwin spelling out the problems was attached to the building Oct. 20 at 4:30 p.m.
The letter states an inspection that day “revealed the structure is unsafe” under state building code and ordered the owner to “correct and secure” the building from both occupancy and trespass.
The letter’s third paragraph cites “multiple” electrical, building, and fire code violations. The issues were allegedly found in the basement, first, second and third floors.
Eight tenants had to vacate the premises the day of the inspection, according to First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis.
“The tenants had to leave that same day, and took whatever belongings they had,” Drugonis said. “To ensure the tenants weren’t being thrown out, the fire marshal, building department and my office got involved to make sure the landlord found them alternate housing.”
Drugonis said the landlord did put the tenants up in a hotel.
She said the town has since worked with officials from TEAM, Inc. in Derby to find temporary housing for the tenants until repairs to the Trestle are made and the town deems the building safe for occupancy again.
Six of the eight tenants have since been placed in housing, thanks to TEAM’s efforts, but two of the tenants were still living at a hotel (as of Dec. 10), Drugonis said.
The building has eight rooms for rent, on the second and third floors, with two shared bathrooms. The first floor houses a vacant commercial property that previously housed the former Trestle Tavern.
It’s a highly visible property on Main Street, a stone’s throw from the popular restaurant Zois Pizza.
The former Trestle Tavern building is owned by 26 – 28 Main St., a limited liability company out of New Haven. The Valley Indy was unable to reach anyone from the company.
Last week Baldwin said he has yet to hear back from the owner about whether any repairs to the building are underway.
“I have no information on any repairs,” Baldwin said. “The building will remain vacant until code compliance is achieved.”
An image from Google Maps showing the building in 2019.
Fire Marshal Tim Willis said “the owner is working with us to make necessary repairs to correct the abated violations,” and recently submitted a request for an extension in accordance with state statutes. Willis said the owner’s engineers have since reached out to his office about addressing the problems.
Willis said the inspection was initiated after a tenant had concerns about one of their circuits continually tripping in their unit.
The violations included “exposed wiring, faulty GFCI outlets and over-loaded circuits,” officials said.
In addition, Wilson said multiple fire code violations were found, including improperly working fire alarms, improper means of exiting the building and various construction issues, or improper fire separations between rooms and floors that could cause potential fires to spread more rapidly.
“Under the Office of the State Fire Marshal Directive 10, Restricting the use of a Building-Immediate Hazard, I ordered that the building be vacated until the immediate hazard could be remedied,” Willis said.
One of the tenants filed a lawsuit against the landlord on Sept. 29.
In the complaint, the tenant listed a slew of issues with the building, including:
*mice and rat infestation
*no proper way to dispose of garbage
*broken windows
*intermittent power outages
The Valley Indy reached out to the tenant and the landlord listed on the complaint but neither responded.
A judge dismissed the lawsuit Nov. 29, citing the fact the tenant failed to appear at a virtual court hearing on the case scheduled for that day. However, the tenant filed paperwork asking the court to open the case, citing the fact she missed court because she was in the process of moving, having had to immediately leave the premises because of the code violations discovered.
