PARIS – The owner of a Market Square building destroyed by fire two years ago told selectmen Monday night that he will complete work on the building as soon as he can.

“I have a permit and when that runs out that’s it,” said Ralph Stone, owner of the former Minnie’s Restaurant at 37 Market Square. “I either come back and beg for mercy or I’ll lose it.”

The former restaurant and second-floor apartment, which is adjacent to the town hall, was destroyed in a February 2007 fire after a space heater ignited a mattress. Stone suffered serious burns in the fire and later broke his hip during a fall while working on the building, which has no electricity or plumbing.

The problem, said officials, is that the permit sets no end date for completion. It simply mandates that work be started within a one-year period.

“There is no deadline line,” said Town Manager Sharon Jackson.

Jackson told the board there is no extension necessary for the permit but if the building was deemed a hazardous site or a danger to people the board could order Stone to clean it up by a certain date,

In July, selectmen voted to allow Stone to continue work on the building rather than condemn it after he received a building permit from the town and agreed to secure the building from trespassers. The move occurred after Selectman Lloyd “Skip” Herrick unsuccessfully tried to get the building torn down by having the board condemn it.

Selectman David Ivey, who asked for an update at Monday night’s meeting, said he has only a few complaints about the building and that was for aesthetic reasons. He said he has not had any complaints about the safety of the building.

Stone said that he is willing to work with the town. He stated previously that he may take the entire building down.

“They claim I won’t work with you, but I darn well will,” he said. “I am trying as hard as I can to keep that cleaned up. I don’t see any danger right there. If there’s something that wrong, using my mother’s words, I’ll darn well clean it up.”

Stone did say that he was tired of getting plowed in after he shovels his driveway by hand as he did early Monday morning during the most recent snowstorm. Later he said someone had plowed it all back.

Jackson said the town doesn’t plow that section of the drive and that it belongs to the owner of the apartment building behind Stone’s building.