Shedd Road residents have had enough of one local’s messy property.
By Jim Smedley
Staff Writer

NORWAY – Some of his neighbors think Levi Libby is a menace.

They say his property on Shedd Road is messy, an eyesore that had too many junk vehicles on it.

Libby said he’s just a small businessman trying to make ends meet.

In a letter dated Oct. 28 Code Enforcement Officer Jeffrey VanDecker told Libby he must clean up his area or face fines.

Since then, Libby has sold several vehicles, had two vehicles removed from the property and resolved other issues neighbors had complained about.

Soon, as money allows, he has plans to build a fence around his property so none of it is visible from the road.

But, he’s still worried about meeting state specifications.

According to new state junkyard regulations, people may have only two vehicles that are unregistered and un-inspected on their property.

If there are three or more unregistered and un-inspected vehicles the site could be considered an automobile graveyard or junkyard.

Libby does not want to be considered either of those.

He has two unregistered/un-inspected vehicles outside, plus two registered campers and two logging trucks. One of the campers and two unregistered vehicles are visible from the road. The others are hidden from view by his business building, a 50-foot by 30-foot structure.

He also has three unregistered vehicles in that building that he is in the process of refurbishing. He said occasionally he has to use the space in his building for work and must pull one, two or all of the vehicles outside.

Libby said those three vehicles are always put inside at day’s end.

He also has a small pile of lumber and pipes he uses for his electrical work, outside behind his building.

Libby lives on the dirt part of Shedd Road, about one-half mile after the paving stops.

He has been in the Oxford Hills area for six years, commuting to Portland to work as an electrician for the first year. Tiring of that, he began his own business, ACL Electric, from a small building on Western Avenue in Paris.

Libby purchased about 30 acres on Shedd Road with the hopes of operating his business and eventually erecting a home.

He had his first inclination that operating a business in that area would be difficult when he moved a trailer into the area to live.

“There were complaints when I put the trailer on site and started building my garage, Libby said. “Dan Hill, the previous CEO, gave me a certificate of occupancy and said he couldn’t believe how many people complained.

“I bought a piece of property that has no zoning,” he said. “I bought it to grow on, live on and use until I die.”

He said to some degree, he is a victim of circumstance regarding a couple of other complaints neighbors made against him.

One was for an over-flowing green Dumpster near his office building. He said the trash removal company was late in emptying it. Then, the day after the complaint and justification became public at a selectmen’s meeting, the company showed up to empty it.

The other complaint concerned supposed Libby trash that was all over the road. Police were called. The trash ended up being plastic that covered a side of his office building. It froze, cracked and was blown about the property and road.

He said it happened in the morning and was cleaned by the mid-afternoon.

Libby will learn later this week if his cleanup efforts meet state requirements.

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