By Lisa Chmelecki,Staff Writer

AUBURN – Kevin and Jean Guidi blame their neighbor, Eugene Jordan Jr., for ruining their dream home.

The couple says Jordan’s automobile junkyard contaminated their well and polluted the river that runs through their back yard.

And they want him to pay.

Whether Jordan owes the couple anything is now up to a panel of eight jurors chosen to hear the Guidis’ civil case against their neighbor.

The trial began Monday in Androscoggin County Superior Court.

“We’re not saying junkyards are bad. We’re just saying they are bad if they are in an area like this,” the Guidis’ lawyer, Curtis Webber, told the jury in his opening statement.

Jordan’s attorney, Scott Boak, began his opening statement by telling the jurors that the evidence will paint a picture different from the one described by Webber.

That evidence, Boak said, will include the results of tests performed by the state Department of Environmental Protection on the Guidis’ well and 15 others in the area, all of which were determined to be safe despite traces of the gas additive MTBE.

“This case is not about contamination,” Boak said. “It’s about the Guidis’ dislike of Mr. Jordan, and their willingness to use every means possible to drive him out of town.”

A lifelong resident of Turner, Jordan has been stirring controversy for years. His Snell Hill Road property on the banks of the Nezinscot River – and the businesses he has operated on it – have been the subject of several heated Board of Selectmen meetings.

The Guidis, who moved to Turner in 1983 and built their own house, attended many of those meetings and urged town officials to take action against Jordan for running an illegal junkyard.

“They finally lost hope and initiated their lawsuit,” Webber said.

Webber showed the jurors photographs taken by the Guidis of junk cars lined across the property and tires piled on the banks of the river. He said the couple eventually stopped using the river.

“It’s not surprising that someone would lose enthusiasm to swim if they had to swim around tires,” Webber said.

Boak acknowledged Monday that Jordan’s junkyard, which has been in his family since 1954, was illegal for several years after he let his license lapse.

He also acknowledged that Jordan can be “rough around the edges” and that he did take a long time to comply with the town’s wishes.

Jordan requested a new permit for his junkyard business in November 2000 after the Guidis and other neighbors complained about the growing number of junk cars and tires on the property.

His application was denied, but that didn’t end the controversy.

Town officials eventually took Jordan to court after he ignored numerous demands to clean up his land. They reached a settlement in February 2003.

Jordan agreed to remove all junk cars, heating supplies, household appliances and other debris from his property and pay $10,000 for the town’s legal fees.

As part of the deal, he was allowed to continue a towing business, but he was given specific deadlines for how long any towed vehicle could stay on the property.

Boak acknowledged that Jordan has had run-ins with authorities.

“But this is not a lawsuit about whether he’s a good or bad man,” Boak said. “The thing you have to understand is this: As far as the town is concerned, Mr. Jordan has done everything he needs to do.”

The trial will continue Tuesday with witnesses for the Guidis. The case is expected to last until Wednesday or Thursday.