Dangerous building taken down prior to town needing to take legal action

GRENVILLE — For several years, Code Enforcement Officer Jack Hart has been working with the owner of a former store building at 123 Lily Bay Road that had become a collapse hazard. During a selectmen’s meeting on Oct. 21 Hart said that the structure had just been taken down and a clean-up plan for the debris is being developed.

Hart told the selectmen that he had discussed the property, which is owned by a 80-year-old whose parents had the store there, with them before. “My theory is I would like to work with them to help the property owner through the situation,” he said. “This particular one, at 123 Lily Bay, I have worked with the property owner for probably three years. I felt we had to be a little more aggressive in what the town ought to do.”

“It’s not a good thing to tell people what to do with their property,” Hart said. “With this property I think we had gotten to that point.”

The on-site visits and discussions with the code enforcement officer led to the structure being torn down, eliminating the collapse hazard and preventing the need for the town to take resulting legal action for inactivity. Hart said the property owner told him he will clean the parcel up and “I will work with him to kind of expedie it the best we can. It’s been a struggle and it’s going to continue to be a struggle, I’m sure.” He said there still are potential safety and health hazards if the debris is not removed.

“This is a good start anyway, I drove by it and it was dangerous,” Select Chair Richard Peat said.

“By this action, in a way, he chose to resolve,” Town Manager John Simko said. “This is better and less expensive for everybody involved.” He added, “This is a difficult situation but I think Jack’s handled it the best he can.”

“There are others in town I haven’t talked to and sometime, not tonight, we ought to have a discussion how we want to do this,” Hart said about other dangerous buildings in Greenville.

In other business, Hart and town officials discussed a possible facility use permit system for the town. Hart said he had gathered information on procedures used by other communities across Maine for the selectmen to review. “At least it gives you an idea there is a process and way to do that,” he said.

Simko said there is no recommendation for the selectmen to act on, just information to consider. He said an example of a facility use permit system would be for the U.S. Cross Country Snowmobile races at the Junction Wharf. “This would clarify that,” he said. “You know who they are, what they are doing and there would be an inspection before and after.”

Peat mentioned there are some differences between regulations for what farmers selling crops out of their vehicles have to follow compared to store owners and, “We thought it was time do something and make it fair.”

“I think this was an effort at parity with the street vendor piece and I think the facility use piece is an effort to cover cost,” Simko said.

To resolve a liability question, a new mutual aid agreement was drafted between the town and C.A. Dean Memorial Hospital for service calls between the Greenville Fire Department and C.A. Dean Ambulance. The selectmen agreed by consensus to authorize Simko to sign and execute the agreement, pending review by the community’s insurance company.

The town had received an unsolicited bid from resident Eric Nelson to purchase the fire department’s 1977 Oshkosh aerial ladder truck as is for $4,000. The selectmen accepted the bid, and the monies will go into the fire department’s apparatus reserve account.