PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — On Wednesday, April 3, Presque Isle city councilors held a public hearing to discuss the next steps in dealing with five buildings that have either been condemned or deemed dangerous for residency.
The City of Presque Isle defines a dangerous building as one that is condemned as “structurally unsafe, unstable or unsanitary” and poses a health or fire risk due to “inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence or abandonment or is otherwise dangerous to life or property.”
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- Presque Isle councilors recently held a public hearing in regards to condemned or dangerous buildings in the city, including this one at 53 Ward Street. (Courtesy of City of Presque Isle)
During the public hearing, the councilors listened to testimony from Code Enforcement Officer George Howe regarding five dangerous buildings located at 28 Elm Street, 27 Braden Street, 10 Delmont Street, 53 Ward Street and 257 Chapman Road. Howe recommended that councilors issue orders stating that the building owners either repair or begin the process of repairing the properties within 30 days. Four of the buildings were previously condemned by the city and all face significant repairs or possible demolition.
Howe said that the home on 28 Elm Street, owned by Cleze “Sid” Carr, was condemned in November 2013 due to the property’s collapsing roof. Since then, the property has remained vacant. According to Howe, Carr purchased the building in a land swap along with other properties and has never even seen it.
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- The Presque Isle City Council has issued an order declaring that five dangerous or condemned buildings, including this one at 10 Delmont Street, be repaired or face demolition. (Courtesy of City of Presque Isle)
In addition to the roof, the home contains rotting wood on the outside, mold and mildew inside and a furnace located in the garage is no longer operational. Howe said that attorney Frank Bemis, the registered agent for the property, recently contacted him with information regarding a local resident interested in buying and repairing the property.
“Is the building fixable at all?” asked councilor Jeff Willette.
“Yes, and the fact that this gentleman feels that he can do the work himself lowers the price tag quite a bit,” Howe said. “A portion of the foundation has cracked and shifted, but most of the building is relatively straight and the rot has not gotten to most of the building yet.”
Condemned properties at 27 Braden Street, 10 Delmont Street and 53 Ward Street are owned by Fernand Martin and face extensive damages that includes, but is not limited to, a flooded basement with three feet of water, broken windows, mold, a collapsing ceiling in a living room and a crumbling foundation.
Howe told councilors that Martin has submitted to him a plan to replace the leaking roof on the 53 Ward Street building by May 31, repair the rotting porch and side shingles at that house by June 15 and make other necessary repairs by July 31. Martin has also submitted plans to make necessary repairs at the 10 Delmont Street home by May 31 and Aug. 15, and repairs to the 27 Braden Street home by May 1, July 1 and Oct. 1, respectively.
The city condemned the property on 27 Braden Street in August 2018 and the 53 Ward Street property in October 2018. While the 10 Delmont Street property has yet to be condemned, the structural issues have occurred since 2011. While Martin has agreed to repair the properties, Howe encouraged the councilors to issue a formal order to ensure that those repairs are completed in a timely manner.
“In my opinion, since he has a plan, we’ll give him a chance to follow through. If not, then it’s over,” said councilor Kevin Freeman, in agreement with Howe’s recommendation.
In the case of condemned properties, the city council reserves the right to charge property owners a fee of $100 per day if they do not bring their properties up to city codes under their specified time. The council then reserves the right to order the property’s demolition and removal, the charges for which would be the responsibility of the owner.
The 257 Chapman Road property was condemned in June 2017, with Howe listing a collapsing roof as the major reason. He said the home became vacant after the original owner passed away and the family wanted nothing to do with the property. Since then, he has established contact with relatives, who have begun the process of finding bids from contractors to either repair or demolish the home.
Presque Isle councilors voted to enforce an official order asking all building owners to take action on the properties within 30 days or face the $100 per day penalty and building demolition.
In other business, the councilors announced that their next goal setting workshop will begin at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library. Councilors previously met with the various city departments to discuss potential goals for 2019 in hopes of later creating a list of official goals for the year.
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at Presque Isle City Hall.
