City manager says ‘strong potential’ exists for Birds Eye freezer to fall into U.S. Route 1
CARIBOU, Maine — City Council unanimously voted for the demolition of a freezer building and guard shack located along U.S. Route 1 in Caribou during their August 8, 2016 meeting.
The properties, owned by Steven R. Nasiff of Nasiff Land LLC, have fallen into disrepair, with the freezer building presenting a potential safety hazard for cars traveling along the highway through Caribou.
“If the freezer building were to fall, there is a strong potential that it could fall onto Route 1,” said City Manager Austin Bleess.
Councilor David Martin added that if any action is taken, the former Birds Eye building should be the top priority.
Councilor Shane McDougall agreed, but would also like to see the other buildings demolished afterward.
“As soon as you tear down the freezer building, it opens up a lot of the other crap that’s sitting behind it,” McDougall said. “Taking down one building is the start of a longer process.”
Councilor Jody Smith suggested taking one building down, and then seeing how Nasiff reacts.
While the proverbial wheels have been set in motion by Council, Nasiff is still responsible for the property.
In 2014, Council urged the owner to take care of the buildings himself, but have yet to see any tangible results.
“I’ve traded communication with Steve every few months asking what his status is,” Bleess said during an August 19 phone interview. “He keeps saying he’s getting close, but we’ve never seen any progress, and there is always one excuse or another as to why he hasn’t started yet.”
Bleess reiterated the dangers associated with the dilapidated freezer building, adding that it’s “time the city acts and cleans it up.”
According to the City Manager, work on the project should start in October, and is slated to be finished by April 2017. Demolition will involve tearing down the structures and clearing up any debris.
While Nasiff Land, LLC is technically responsible for all of the costs, the project will be paid via the city’s reserve account and then submitted to Nasiff for repayment. If he refuses, the fees will be added to his property taxes.
Demolition costs for the freezer building and guard shack are $87,500 and $750, respectively. McGillan, Inc. of Fort Fairfield has been hired to do the job.
The city previously paid $30,000 to take down one small building and put a fence around the property. According to Bleess, this was added to Nasiff’s 2015 property taxes and he has currently not paid it back.
If Nasiff does not pay the associated taxes, then the city will acquire the property, at which point they may be able to use grant money for continued renovation.
“It will be nice to have this dangerous building taken down,” said Bleess, “and there are certainly several more there we will have to act on at some point.”
