Governor’s Island Club goes after unpaid dues at disputed property

LACONIA — The Summit Road man who has, so far, unsuccessfully waged war against the Governors Island Club since 2011 when he attempted to build a detached foundation on his property and place a cottage atop it is facing a $5,300 attachment to his property for not paying his club dues since 2011.

Richard Homsi already faces a similar attachment for about $50,000 in legal fees awarded to the club in the wake of prolonged litigation about the moribund building project.

Homsi's house and property are in Laconia; however, when he bought his home in 1999, he said he never agreed to be a member of the Governor's Island Club, which is primarily in Gilford. While he had a building permit from the city of Laconia and shoreline permits from the state Department of Environmental Services, he never received permission from the Governors Island Club to build the free-standing structure.

The GIC claims that unattached buildings are not an allowed use within its covenants.

Attorneys for GIC have argued successfully in both the Belknap County Superior Court and at the New Hampshire Supreme Court that the property has a deed restriction or restrictive covenant dating to 1992 requiring the owner of the home to be a dues-paying member of the club.

Earlier this year, Belknap County Superior Court James O'Neill ordered Homsi to remove the cement foundation he installed in anticipation of his project. After a rehearing, O'Neill reiterated his order. GIC attorney Paul Fitzgerald said Homsi appealed O'Neill's ruling to the state Supreme Court but there has been no decision yet.

The Governor's Island Club and Homsi are scheduled for a hearing about the $5,300 attachment plus legal fees in the Belknap County Superior Court today. Throughout these hearings, Homsi has been representing himself.