Editorial: Irwin makes itself the Scrooge in a Christmas landlord story

In his famous story “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens makes his main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, an unlikable character on many fronts.

While it’s his miserly ways and dislike of Christmas that get most of the attention, let’s not forget that Scrooge is also an unscrupulous landlord. Whether renting or holding the mortgage, literature’s most famous penny-pincher held more than a few lives in his tight fist.

“One might say that December is the foreclosure season,” Michael Caine said as he played the part in “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”

Oh, Scrooge. How can you be so heartless?

But one might ask the same of Irwin. The borough offices occupy the second floor of its building on Main Street. That’s a problem because of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The borough offices and police station location make them inaccessible for many handicapped individuals.

With that in mind, the borough hired an architect in 2023 to find a way to address the problem. The solution? Move to the first floor.

The hiccup is the first floor is already occupied by Rosendahl’s Appliance Center — and has been for about 60 years. Owner Gary Proctor was notified last week that the lease would not be renewed and the store would have to be out by March 31.

It’s unfortunate, but it is a business decision. It’s also a compliance issue and overall a community accessibility accommodation. All of it is understandable but regrettable.

What isn’t understandable is why this couldn’t have been a more open conversation with Proctor, who says he just wished he had more time.

The borough said in a statement Monday that Proctor “has been aware of the plan for years.”

Being aware of a plan and aware of a timeline are two different things. The timing of the lease nonrenewal notice coincides with the hiring of an architect and a plan to bid the project in April — immediately after the Rosendahl’s departure.

None of this is to say that Irwin is doing the wrong thing in moving its offices. The right thing can often hurt unintentionally.

But government building projects are long, drawn-out processes with timelines often known months, if not years, in advance. Irwin walked into a “bah, humbug” moment and made itself the Scrooge in its own story with a move that might have been anticipated but still feels a lot like kicking Tiny Tim out in the snow.