ATHOL — During the Athol Select Board meeting on June 16, 2026, Athol’s Town Counsel John Barrett said the town would be in court the next day on a code enforcement matter involving 465 Main Street, a historic commercial property built in 1930 that formerly housed the York Theater.
Barrett said the town was going to ask the court for “sanctions in the way of fines and court costs for the town” with respect to the property. He said the town was also seeking authority that could allow it, with the Board of Health’s approval, to condemn the building. Barrett clarified that the building had already been condemned for occupancy, but the town was seeking authority “to basically allow the town to order the demolition of the building.”
“It’s been condemned for occupation, but to basically allow the town to order the demolition of the building, or to petition,” Barrett said. “We’d have to do a separate petition for a receiver if we wanted to try to get a receiver. My thinking is that we should try to find out if there is anyone who would want to act as a receiver before we file a petition for it, because you could, you know, do a lot of work preparing the petition for a receiver and then nobody wants to do it.”
Barrett said the property is “unique” in that it is unclear whether the cost of fixing it would be justified by its value once the work was done.
“Most receivers aren’t going to do the work, spend a lot of money, and then try to sell it and nobody is there to buy it,” Barrett said.
Barrett concluded by saying he was also working to wrap up litigation and land projects, including Benwood Drive, which he said had gone through the process to become a public way and could be studied in the context of private-way roads.
