With no word from proprietor, proposed Orange arcade considered abandoned
Published: 02-02-2023 11:59 AM |
ORANGE — It might be “game over” for the arcade proposed for 5 East Main St., as the town’s administrative assistant considers the project to be abandoned after going months without hearing from the proprietor.
Dave Gray told the Greenfield Recorder in June 2022 that he wanted to open a downtown arcade to give local youth a safe, fun activity. But Brianne Bruso, administrative assistant in Orange Town Hall, said Gray will now have to restart the permitting process because he has not responded to her repeated attempts to contact him after Aug. 17.
“I’ve reached out to him multiple times via the online portal system, I’ve tried calling his cellphone,” she told Selectboard members at last week’s meeting. “This project, to me, is abandoned and ... I’m going to be closing it out of the system. If he chooses to start over, he’ll have to just begin the process over again.”
Recent attempts by the Recorder to reach Gray have been unsuccessful.
Bruso noted at last week’s meeting that an arcade requires an entertainment license and a $100 annual fee for each coin-operated amusement machine. She said she offered Gray an opportunity to come before the Selectboard to seek a reduction, because those fees are negotiable.
Selectboard Chair Jane Peirce told the Recorder it will not cost Gray anything to restart the permitting process.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.