IF selectmen consider regulation
ISLAND FALLS, Maine — Should selectmen come up with an ordinance to regulate derelict buildings within the town?
That is the question on the minds of the Island Falls Board of Selectmen after several residents came forward demanding action by the town on a number of rundown buildings.
Selectmen received comments from the public during a July 13 meeting regarding the need to act quickly to remove derelict buildings from sites in order to improve the looks of the town and preserve property values.
During a July 1, selectmen’s meeting, resident, Robert Dunphy presented each member of the board with a copy of the law regarding the Maine Dangerous Buildings Act and requested immediate action.
At that meeting, several other residents came in support of his request and with properties that they were concerned about.
“The audience was appreciative of the fact that the board had already started work in generating a list of derelict properties and developing a letter to go to property owners,” said Paige Colville, board chairman.
A couple of properties that were foreclosed on by the town are now in the middle of extensive renovations. Colville said the town has waived back taxes on some properties, provided the new owner agreed to a plan to fix whatever issues were needed.
“We don’t want to take properties,” Coville said. “We want the properties on the tax roll. We are like every other town where there are bank foreclosures. The person hired by the bank to tend to the property are not doing it.”
Nearly a dozen properties have been targeted by the town as buildings needing extensive renovations or complete demolition due to unsafe conditions. Most of those buildings are unoccupied, but a couple have individuals living in them.
Selectman Darrell Hartin noted that it is possible that some of these letters could generate legal costs initially in pursuing the removal of building and clean-up, but there are provisions for recovery in state law.
Members of the audience noted that they would still support aggressive action. Coville noted that there were revisions that the Planning Committee needed to make to the Land-use Ordinance. With revisions, the Code Enforcement Officer would be able to intervene before buildings reach the dangerous state.
A committee made up of selectmen, residents, the fire chief and code enforcement officer is being formed to look at which buildings in the town should be targeted as unsafe. The board approved plans for moving forward on a dangerous buildings ordinance, but in order for that ordinance to be approved, a town vote would be required.
That vote has proven to be a sticking point for past efforts to come up with such an ordinance.
“We know we probably don’t have a hope of getting an ordinance passed that would let us get into these properties,” Coville said. “Ideally, we would like to get into some of these wonderful old buildings before they are too far gone.”
