Closed Restaurant Owes Town About $1,100

In late September, the Revere Journal reported that officials in that city were considering a criminal complaint against the ownership of the now-closed Mt. Vernon at the Wharf restaurant over an unpaid $33,000 water bill. A separate report in that newspaper cited the effect the closing has had on area food vendors as well.

With this in mind, an inquiry at Lynnfield Town Hall this week found that the Mount Vernon restaurants company shut down its Route 1 location, Mt. Vernon at the Ship, while owing the town $1,106.21 in personal property taxes. The company closed its Lynnfield and Revere restaurants several weeks ago, leaving its original Somerville location open.

Specifically, the former Route 1 restaurant is said to owe $484.17 from fiscal year '10, $470.41 for FY '11, and $151.63 for FY '12.

A  separate inquiry with the Lynnfield Water District found that Mt. Vernon at the Ship has about $1,250 in outstanding water bills. However, the water district expects to simply transfer that debt to the owner of the building.

Several efforts by Lynnfield Patch to get comment from the restaurant ownership have been unsuccessful since the day The Ship closed about three weeks ago.

The actual Ship building, which has been a Route 1 landmark for generations, is owned by Ship Mall LLC of Allston.