OXFORD — An abandoned house on Gore Road taken by the town for unpaid taxes will be razed to the ground as part of a firefighter training course. 

Selectmen at their Thursday meeting voted unanimously to authorize Town Manager Michael Chammings to demolish and remove the structure and list the property for sale. 

The house, formerly owned by Kenneth Giles, sits on almost two acres of land at 212 Gore Road near the Otisfield town line, according to financial information provided by the town. 

A lien was placed on the house for $429 in unpaid taxes in 2010, and the balance of unpaid taxes, including fees and interest, now stands at $2,862. Altogether, the property is valued at $37,200. The land is worth $29,500, while the building is only worth $17,700. The town is exempting $10,000 in valuation. 

Chammings told selectmen the property is abandoned and its advanced state of decay and disrepair qualify it as a dangerous building.

Photos provided to the selectmen by Chammings show a dilapidated, single-story home overgrown with brush and weeds. The interior is strewn with debris, trash and discarded household items, including a mattress and television set. 

“What I’d like to do is have the selectmen officially take the property and use it for fire training so we can get our guys certified,” Chammings said. 

While the property itself wasn’t a bad lot, Chammings expected it would be worth more without the building. 

In order to be in compliance with state law, selectmen are required to advertise their proposed action for two weeks after the property has been put out for sale.

The Gore Road parcel is only one of a number of tax-acquired properties being held by the town. At the meeting, Chammings said a large number are not under purchase-sale agreements and are not being maintained. 

“We’re been trying to get them to the selectmen to start cleaning them up because we have way too many out there,” Chammings said. 

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