HOULTON, Maine — Town councilors on Monday evening discussed options around the future of a dilapidated dwelling located in Riverfront Park.
During their meeting, Chair Jane Torres said the councilors needed to decide what to do about the house formerly owned by Mo and Charlotte Sprague. The home sits just off Lincoln Street.
“We took ownership of the house down there last year,” said Torres, adding that the town needs to consider ways to take it down.
Town Attorney Dan Nelson said that the Aaron A. and Maria H. Putnam Charitable Trust donated $50,000 to the town last year so officials could buy the property at 3 Lincoln Street, which is adjacent to Riverfront Park. The purchase included the Sprague house and allowed for a lengthy expansion of the multi-use trail in the park. The Putnam Charitable Trust is a private independent foundation that works to better the community.
Councilor Chris Robinson suggested doing a controlled burn and using the building for a training exercise for the Houlton Fire Department, but Torres said she believes that isn’t possible because the structure is too close to the Meduxnekeag River.
Milton Cone, the town’s fire chief and ambulance director, said he hasn’t really had a chance to go down into the park and view the Sprague property. He said that several specifications needed to be met before a property could be used for a controlled burn. He added that he had heard that there were items in the dwelling that needed to be cleaned out before anything could be done with the building.
“I don’t know enough about what is in the building and what isn’t,” he said, adding that he would need to go to the scene with the code enforcement officer.
“Plus disposal might be an issue if there is lead or asbestos” in the dwelling, said Councilor Joe McKenna.
Town Manager Marian Anderson told councilors that another option would be for Chris Stewart, the town’s public works director, to tear down the structure as part of excavator training for his department.
No decisions were made during the meeting on Monday evening.
Riverfront Park centers on Gateway Crossing, the pedestrian footbridge that stretches from the North Street Bridge across the Meduxnekeag River. The Riverfront Committee, which was formed to develop and raise money for the park, spent five years raising the $1 million needed to build the 187-foot bridge. The park also includes storyboards that detail the history of the town, a playground, and art work.
