MIDDLE SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP — How would you feel if you were out more than $880,000 dollars? That’s the amount lost in back taxes when the closed Fernwood Hotel and Conference Center was sold at judicial sale.
But the public agencies out of the money seem to be taking the loss in stride.
Along Route 209 in the Bushkill area sits the closed Fernwood Hotel and Conference Center. The property may have another chance at new life yet again after a troubled past in the Poconos.
“Everybody wants to see a viable property there, including us. I’m on the economic development council for Middle Smithfield Township so, we have a lot vested in this corridor and we really want to see it grow,” said Bushkill Group spokeswoman Gina Bertucci.
In 2011, a subsidiary of the Bushkill Group sold the hotel and conference center to local developer Jim Ertle, or E Hotels LP for $600,000. Three years later, the hotel closed abruptly.
The owner stopped paying taxes on the property and ended up owning more than $880,000.
Just this month the Bushkill Group bought back the hotel at a judicial sale which means it doesn’t have to pay those back taxes.
Middle Smithfield Township was owed close to $40,000.
Supervisors say they won’t get those tax dollars back, but call the sale a step in the right direction.
“We’re thrilled to have that property back paying taxes again and we’re also thrilled to have a responsive owner rather than an unresponsive owner,” said Middle Smithfield Township supervisor Annette Atkinson.
East Stroudsburg Area School District is out more than $600,000.
The district says that works out to less than one percent of its overall budget and in a statement explained, “The school district is pleased anytime a delinquent tax account is able to be returned to the active rolls.”
The Bushkill Group has only owned this property for a couple of weeks but it’s already started making improvements. They’ve done some landscaping and other work so their guests staying just across the road have something nice to look at.
“We are cleaning up things as we come upon them, so we’re picking up, cleaning up, tidying it up so it looks good and as I said, folks are looking at it,” said Bertucci.
The Bushkill Group is looking to sell the old Fernwood Hotel and Conference Center, but no potential deals have been revealed just yet.
