To the Editor:

The Old Company Store is in dispute with the Mill Pond Diner over septic issues that have been ongoing for over three years.  We are very saddened to see how the situation has unfolded and the response from the community.  As both parties are integral parts of the community, we had hoped that the dispute would be handled amicably and quickly.  Unfortunately this was not the case.

Tremont Nail Factory was the land/lease holder for the septic connection when the town sewer line came down Elm Street.  Tremont invited Mill Pond to hook up to the line and share the associated fees (to the town and those associated with maintaining the commercial hook-up) with the Old Company Store, of which Tremont was landlord.

When, years later, the Old Company Store was purchased by the Assad family, a survey was done at the expense of the Old Company Store and showed the septic usage was 75% Mill Pond and 25% the remaining land holdings.  A gentleman’s agreement was met between the owners of both properties and was upheld until a certain but well-documented point.

The Mill Pond grease traps caused a clog in an adjacent building’s pipes, causing Curves Fitness (property owned by the Assads) to back up, resulting in loss of business and the cost of new facilities, flooring and septic upgrades.  The Assads fixed the building and the piping which sits on their land. After a court found in favor of the Assads, a mutual agreement with the owner of the Mill Pond Diner (Lorrain Goyette) was reached:  A parcel of land was offered as a token of payment as Mrs. Goyette could not at the time pay the due balance from the town.  After town officials and surveyors were contracted, the offer was rescinded and we went to court, and obtained a lien on the property.

A year went by and the Old Company Store continued to pay the 75% sewerage charge and fees from the courts and town.  After many unsuccessful legal meetings with Mrs. Goyette, it came time for action and, as one of your readers put it, after so long, nice only gets you so far.  Our lawyer put a cease and desist on the shared septic. In sealing the pipe to prevent further Mill Pond usage of the shared connection, The Old Company Store followed the advice of our attorney -- after serving the Mill Pond one final chance to do the right thing.

I ask you, at what point do you change the locks on a roommate who won’t pay the rent? One month?  Two? Three years was long enough and after 20 years of assisting the community, we only hope that you look upon our actions as one that was necessary and not one done out of spite or a quick reaction to a small problem.  You know the family at the Old Company store well enough to know that we followed the law and the respect of our neighbors.

There is no overflow of sewerage or public water detriment, we followed the law and sealed the tank to only affect flow into the system that Mill Pond refused to pay their share. The town water and lands are completely safe, and our water systems were never in any danger of harm.

The Assad Family