FARMINGTON — Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday, Dec. 22, to order everyone except the owner out of the house at 103 Bridge St. until cited deficiencies are corrected. They also agreed legal advice and probably a court order are needed to make that happen.

With a year-plus standing order for owner Joel Batzell to make corrections noted by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, the board realized more action was needed after a resident of the building came to the town code office recently to complain about his actions as a landlord, Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser told the board.

The woman complained there was no way to lock her room from the outside and that Batzell had threatened to shut off her power and heat, a violation of state laws, he said.

This came on top of concerns expressed by inspector Edward Hastings of the Fire Marshal’s Office and Farmington Fire Rescue Chief Terry Bell, who told him Farmington police were called to the house recently and found the woman heating her unit with a kitchen stove.

Bell, Hastings and Assistant State Fire Marshal Nelson Collins joined Kaiser at the meeting stating their concern for the safety of those in the house, known as Thought Bridge.

Occupants said there are no smoke detectors in their room, Hastings told the board, even though the Fire Marshal’s Office provided temporary detectors after inspecting the building in the fall of 2008.

Batzell repeatedly objected to the claim that he was in a landlord/tenant situation. He said he has run a ministry that helps people no one else will take in for more than 30 years. Any funds received from them help keep the ministry going.

“I donate my time to help these people,” he said.

Batzell said the occupants who complained were taking advantage of the situation and were asked to leave the premises by the end of November.

The board was also concerned that some occupants have received general assistance from the town to stay there with voucher notes stating, “rent.”

“We thought the town would move forward,” Collins told the board as to the reason the Fire Marshal’s Office had not pursued the deficiencies they cited in the 2008 inspection.

The board has met several times with Batzell or his representatives throughout the year, encouraging him to make an action plan and correct items on the Fire Marshal’s report. Batzell’s illness and lack of funding prompted the board to keep extending the deadline. He was asked by the board in November to focus on life safety issues such as emergency exits and smoke detectors.

Batzell did agree to a third-party inspection, Kaiser said in preparation for the town taking on the corrections, but Selectman Jon Bubier objected to the town putting any money into the property.

Both Batzell and the board expressed frustration with the ongoing issue.

“This is enough and it’s ridiculous. I need an attorney,” Batzell said.

Considering human safety and potential liability for the town, the board moved to bar everyone from the premises until corrections are made.

[email protected]