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Residents urge Middletown to help preserve Wayside Inn
Summary
Two residents used public comment to call on the council and community to collaborate with owners to keep the historic Wayside Inn operating, offering volunteer support and business ideas; no council action was recorded.
Two Middletown residents urged the council to take a more active role in helping preserve the Wayside Inn during public comment at the Aug. 12 Town Council meeting.
"This community needs to collaborate with the owners to come up with 'out of the box' solutions to help the Wayside stay in business," said Lisa Shaffer, a retired resident and former owner of Larrick's Tavern, who said she will seek meetings with the owners and the business community to propose recurring events and shared‑revenue ideas.
Resident Gretchen Coffey called the Wayside a "treasure of Middletown" and said it contributes to the town's historic district, urging the council to be "energetically protective" of the structure. Coffey yielded the remainder of her time to Shaffer.
The speakers offered community‑driven ideas and said they plan to convene interested business owners; the council minutes do not record a response from council members or a motion to pursue the proposals. The comments were made during the public comment portion of the meeting and were recorded for the minutes.
