WASHINGTON — The former owner of Woody’s Roadhouse — which was demolished in 2021 — is hoping to resolve the town’s lawsuit against him over $22,500 in fines.
The club that played host to Bonnie Raitt and Foghat closed in the 1990s. It fell into disrepair, and Washington’s fire chief in 2018 ordered Woodrow Witter to demolish the building at 333 South Washington Road after snow caused a portion of the structure to collapse.
Woodrow Witter stands by the bar of Woody's Roadhouse in 2019. Witter may be close to settling a lawsuit the town of Washington filed against him regarding the property he used to own.
EAGLE FILE PHOTOWitter took no action — and the town went to court. Judge John A. Agostini ordered the building demolished and a lien placed on the property in October 2019.
After Agostini’s order, the town sought bids to demolish the structure, which were reported to be in excess of $100,000, more than the value of the land.
Following a second roof collapse, the town in June 2021 ordered Witter to demolish Woody’s Roadhouse and gave him a deadline of July 2, 2021.
- By Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle
But Witter again took no action and the town fined him $500 per day from July 3 to Aug. 16, 2021, yielding $22,500 in penalties for “diffuse violations of the sanitary code at the property.”
Witter transferred the property to Jacob Trudeau on Aug. 18, 2021. Trudeau demolished the final portion of the building Oct. 7, 2021.
Witter has made no payments toward the fines and the town filed suit in Central Berkshire District Court on Jan. 11, 2022, to recoup the money.
Woodrow Witter
Woodrow Witter stands in the roadhouse. He purchased the location in 1971 and renamed it Woody's House of Washington and later rechristened Woody's Roadhouse. The venue was the premiere location to see live music in the Berkshires until closing for good in 1997.
Attorney William Martin, who represents Witter in the district court case, told The Eagle he has “been back and forth” with Jeremia Pollard, the Washington town counsel. “We have suggested that a settlement conference with the Board of Selectmen may get the case resolved.”
If the town and Witter don’t resolve the matter out of court, the case is scheduled for a one-day bench trial in May. A legal filing shows that Martin and Pollard estimate there is a 60 percent chance the dispute will be settled.
Martin said, “We’re hopeful that a settlement conference will move the case toward settlement.”
Select Board Chair Kent Lew declined to discuss ongoing litigation.
Demolition of the historic former Woody's Roadhouse club in Washington, Mass.
Thursday, October 7, 2021.
Video by Stephanie Zollshan/The Berkshire Eagle
