CHARLEMONT — Facing a potential shutdown by the Board of Health for a lack of reliable access to heating and a kitchen for tenants, Oxbow Resort owner Travis DeCere shared the upgrades he has made to the Route 2 property.

DeCere presented his plans to renovate the split property, which offers traditional motel rooms and month-to-month apartments for rent, before the board Tuesday evening. His plans include the installation of a 2,500-gallon commercial septic tank and a contract for water system repairs. A new baseboard heating system has already been installed, providing a solution to the space heaters that were being used.

“We did an electric baseboard system throughout the buildings and that was done with an electrical permit, approved and inspected at the end of last week,” DeCere explained. “We no longer have any space heaters operating in the property and we now have permanent, permitted and inspected heat throughout the property for all those occupied spaces.”

DeCere noted he has also applied for a permit for cosmetic repairs. He said despite submitting a site plan for the scope of renovations, the permit was “not able to move forward” because of concerns about the site’s occupancy. He added that the building inspector was “pleased with everything” after a site inspection last Friday.

The Oxbow Resort at 1741 Route 2 sat empty for more than a decade until it was purchased by DeCere, a real estate agent from Cape Coral, Florida, on Sept. 30 for $500,000 under Shelburne Equity LLC. DeCere’s goal was to renovate and revitalize the property, which first opened as a motel in 1953, and convert it to include a mix of traditional motel rooms and apartments. However, the Board of Health members previously raised concerns about the tenants’ living conditions as repairs continued at a slow pace.

Although the former motel is zoned for use as a short-term rental facility, DeCere said efforts to rezone the property to an R3, or lodging house, are underway. He said he has hired an architect to submit a change of use application to the town within the next 30 days and that very little would need to change under the new zoning.

“The actual work that has to be done under the building code on this type of property is limited,” DeCere said. “It’s my belief that we will be able to complete any of the necessary changes [for a change of use], which are fairly limited, within a 30-day period of time.”

Selectboard member Kim Blakeslee, who arrived late and asked for a summary of DeCere’s update, questioned DeCere’s honesty, accusing him of feigning ignorance of Massachusetts regulations.

“I just want full transparency and honesty. You’re a very articulate person, Travis, and you seem to know what you’re talking about, so I’m not necessarily sure that you’re being completely transparent. I’m not buying the ignorance piece,” Blakeslee said. “I can appreciate you investing money, buying some property, wanting to get a return out of it as fast as you can, and maybe trying to squeak by and not follow protocol and see what you can get away with.”

In response to Blakeslee’s remarks, DeCere noted that while he was not entirely ignorant of the process, he was genuinely unfamiliar with some Massachusetts-specific regulations as well as the process of owning a motel. He noted that it was his intent to transform the property, in the future, into a more permanent residence.

Randy Crochier, Health District Program manager with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, noted that DeCere “put the cart before the horse” by moving tenants into the site prior to it being cleared by local officials to open, but he has made a clear effort to bring the property into compliance.

With permitting and inspection certification aimed for completion within 30 days, Board of Health Co-Chair Robert Lingle motioned to continue discussion on DeCere’s property until the board’s next meeting.

“Everything we have done at this point has been done in the interest of trying to avoid displacing these residents,” DeCere said. “It’s not a money thing for us; we want these residents to be able to continue to enjoy the community that we’ve developed up there. … It’s unique and it’s not something that we see every day.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.