Stonington — The Board of Selectmen on Wednesday night will consider taking the first step toward revoking $60,000 in blight fines that it has imposed on a long-dilapidated property at the corner of West Broad and Mechanic streets in downtown Pawcatuck.

The board meets at 7 p.m. at the police station.

Jim Lathrop, who acquired the property at 2-4 Mechanic St. on April 17 from his uncle Stephen Vacca, has asked the town to forgive the fines, as he has begun a series of exterior upgrades to the building with plans to eventually renovate and rent the whole building. Lathrop owns Best Energy, adjacent to the building.

First Selectman Rob Simmons said Tuesday that as a first step, he plans to recommend that the town consider stopping the accumulation of fines dating back to April 17, when Vacca claimed the property to Lathrop. 

He said he also will recommend selectmen put the issue on the agenda for their June 6 meeting so the town can develop some guidelines about how to deal with Lathrop’s request to forgive the fines.

“These fines are not meant to be a revenue source for the town. Instead they are meant to encourage property owners to clean up their properties, sell them or transfer them,” Simmons said.

He said that the town may be able to roll back the fines in phases as Lathrop completes a schedule of repairs, something that also has been suggested by the town’s Economic Development Commission.

Town officials had tried without success to convince Vacca to upgrade the property, which had been partially occupied or vacant since 1982, before imposing the blight fines. The building is at a very visible location for those driving into the downtown.

Lathrop, who is a member of the Economic Development Commission, has said he will work with town officials to do as much work as possible to upgrade the 4,647-square-foot building, which sits on a quarter-acre of land.

j.wojtas@theday.com