OXFORD — Again on the brink of demolition, town officials told a resident he can save a house they previously ordered him to tear down if he fixes the porch roof and clears away debris.

Leon Morse, owner of 260 King St., has until Nov. 1 to make the necessary repairs and maintenance or the town will tear the home down.

It is the second time the town has ordered Morse to fix the property or face demolition. In July, the town said it would tear the building down in 90 days at Morse’s expense if he didn’t do it first.

After the 90 days passed, selectmen decided to halt demolition, fearing legal recourse and reluctant to deprive a resident of his property. Instead, they ordered Morse to devise a proposal for saving his home.

That order followed nearly eight months of proceedings in which the town informed Morse of their concerns that the home poised a safety danger, held a public hearing and declared the building “dangerous” after a structural engineer said it was in imminent threat of collapse. 

Morse cleared the worst of the debris strewn around the property — including a collapsed shed — earlier this year. Still, selectmen ruled that those measures didn’t address the underlying structural issues with the home. 

However, at their meeting Thursday evening, the board again stayed their order to raze the home after Selectman Scott Owens, a contractor, told the board he toured the home and found it in need of cleaning, but otherwise in good repair. 

Morse, who hasn’t lived in the home in nearly three years, said after the meeting he has intended to complete the repairs outlined by selectmen sooner, but works six days a week. He also suffered a setback when burglars ransacked the interior earlier this year. 

Morse said he intends to retire in a year, when a family member will begin renting the place. 

Selectmen were frustrated after Morse apparently failed to devise a written plan outlining a schedule of repairs as agreed upon at their previous meeting. They said they were skeptical the repairs were going to go forward after providing multiple allowances for the work to be completed.  

“There were lots of issues we asked you to address, because I thought we made it abundantly clear we needed answers. I think we’re owed an explanation when, what and how you’re going to do it,” Selectman Peter Laverdiere told Morse.

Neighbors also said they were running out of patience with the cleanup.

Claudette Pierce said she wanted Morse to erect a fence between their two lots, after learning from realtors the abutting property reduced the value of her home. 

“It’s been there for decades — my kids have grown up and moved out and the junk is still there,” Pierce said. 

ccrosby@sunjournal.com