NORWAY — Newly appointed Code Enforcement Officer Joelle Corey-Whitman has reported to town officials that progress is being made to clean up abandoned and fire-ravaged properties in town.
Corey-Whitman said in a recent report to Town Manager David Holt that a number of the dozen or so properties have been upgraded since her last report in May, including the former Oxford Pine Products building on Marston Road that was destroyed by fire earlier in the year.
“The building is slowly and safely being (demolished),” she said. Clean Harbors was called in to remove 120 gallons of lacquer thinner that had been used in the furniture-making business, and building access was restricted as it was being leveled, Corey-Whitman said.
As of Thursday, the front of the building was down to street level.
A fire-ravaged property at 422 Wiley Road has been torn down, the metal scrapped and the debris burned on site, as allowed by law, Corey-Whitman said.
Debris from fires at 370 Sodom Road and a Main Street rooming house has been completely cleared up, she said. The rooming house property at 467 Main St. has been purchased and paved over for use by Ari’s Pizza & Subs, which is undergoing a renovation and expects to reopen soon.
Not all of the news was good, however.
At 142 Eddie Kahkonen Road, where the roof of an old trailer collapsed, Corey-Whitman said an heir to the vacant property had the trailer half demolished but work stalled earlier this week. Corey-Whitman said she would keep an eye on the progress.
The owners of a property at 157 Pikes Hill Road have told Corey-Whitman they will live on site while they clean up the debris. It is expected to take 30 to 40 days, she said.
Corey-Whitman also told Holt that she has sent letters to other property owners advising them to clean up their properties. They include the owner of a building at 268 Lake Road that was slated to be torn down in 1998 and the owner of a trailer at 682 Round The Road Pond where the roof collapsed. The owner of property at 150 Eddie Kahkonen Road has also been advised to remove trash and debris.
If Corey-Whitman is unable to get action from property owners, the town has the option of declaring a site a nuisance or hazard and taking further action to get it cleaned up. The town must first notify the property owner and hold a hearing.
The town may also ask the Superior Court for an order to demolish a structure or to remove debris if it is appropriate under the law.
ldixon@sunjournal.com
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- The Oxford Pine Products building that was destroyed by fire several months ago has been taken down over the past few months because of the hazard posed to children walking to Guy E. Rowe Elementary School.
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