Selectmen to Put East Main Street Lodging House Owner on Spot

A Westborough lodging house owner's license is in jeopardy for state housing code violations involving cleanliness, maintenance and repairs.

Selectmen voted Tuesday night to schedule a Sept. 25 public hearing to consider revoking Rasheed Warab's lodging house license for 8 East Main St. as of Nov. 1 if he does not address the issues by Oct. 31.

Director of Public Health Paul McNulty said health officials inspected the 13-unit site at the end of June, following a complaint.

Health officials ordered Warab to correct the issues within 30 days, McNulty said. An inspection after that period "revealed that about half were corrected. An additional inspection of the basement laundry room revealed additional violations," McNulty told selectmen, fire and building officials, and the town's attorney in an Aug. 21 memo.

Health officials then took out a complaint in Worcester Housing Court, where the situation stands, and "got a court order for him to completely re-do the bathrooms, clean, fix all the other items by Oct. 31," McNulty told selectmen Tuesday night.

Town Manager Jim Malloy said state law requires selectmen to revoke a lodging house license for certain violations.

Selectman George Barrette said he has been at the lodging house, and will share his observations at the Sept. 25 hearing.

McNulty told selectmen he is unsure how many of the 13 units are occupied.

The building has two full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms, he said.

Warab could fix the bathrooms one at a time, minimizing the inconvenience to the residents, McNulty said.

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