The class action lawsuit filed by campers against the past and present owners of Westward Shores and the Town of Ossipee tops the list of 2018’s lake news stories.
The class action lawsuit filed by campers against the past and present owners of Westward Shores and the Town of Ossipee tops the list of 2018’s lake news stories.
A long-simmering dispute over zoning enforcement and sales practices at Westward Shores has come to a head with a lawsuit filed in State Superior Court by more than 70 campers against the Town of Ossipee and the current and previous owners of the big lake business. The group has asked the court to ‘grandfather’ their camping units for zoning purposes, and is seeking monetary damages from current campground owner Northgate Ossipee, and two previous owners, Anthony Aversa and Joan Brassil.
Paving and grading at the entrance to the state-managed site on Route 25 in Ossipee will prevent boaters from launching or removing watercraft on October 18. The site will reopen the next day.
October typically has good weather for boating, and the state has slightly delayed the start of the drawdown process for this year. But keep your eye on the water level. By the end of the month it may be difficult to remove boats and docks in some places.
The September 14 decision found that a Superior Court judge erred last year by ruling in favor of the Town of Effingham after the children’s camp sued it for denying its annual application to qualify for a charitable tax exemption. While the ruling focuses on a decision made by the town in 2015, the tax dispute between the camp and the town has deeper roots.