LIVERMORE FALLS — The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday appointed Ed Hastings of Chesterville as fire chief.

Hastings is the Chesterville fire chief. Selectmen said has worked at the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

“He’s got a very good background in the fire service and will be a good addition to the (Livermore Falls) fire service,” Town Manager Kristal Flagg said.

She said there were six applicants and she interviewed three in person and one over the phone.

Selectmen reviewed a property at 41 Fairview St. that has been foreclosed on, and is in violation of the state junkyard ordinance, according to Code Enforcement Officer Rob Overton.

“There’s a considerable amount of junk and debris on the property,” he confirmed.

The property’s owner, James Burnham, was at the meeting and asked what he could do to rectify the situation. He said getting rid of all the trash would take considerable time.

Last summer, Burnham said, he tried to bring many of the items to the town transfer station, “and was told I couldn’t bring any more. I was taking down recyclables and they pretty much told me not to come back to the dump.”

“If it’s not sorted out, it’s in our ordinance that we cannot take it,” said Road Foreman Bill Nichols, who also oversees the transfer station.

Burnham said he doesn’t live on the property full time. He said it has emotional value to him because his grandmother had owned it.

“You know you owe taxes,” Tax Collector Dawn Young told him. “You haven’t paid three years worth of taxes.”

“I’ve been waiting for some money to come in to get it all straightened out,” Burnham said.

He admitted the trailer on the land needed to be torn down.

“We want people to live by codes and we’re trying to get people to live by codes,” said Selectman Ron Chadwick. “Also, the town is not in the real estate business. We’re in the people business.”

Selectmen approved a motion by Chadwick to have Burnham work with Overton on a written plan of correction to remove the debris. The plan must be presented at the next selectmen meeting for review by the board.

[email protected]

“He’s got a very good background in the fire service and will be a good addition to the (Livermore Falls) fire service.” — Town Manager Kristal Flagg regarding Ed Hastings, the new Livermore Falls fire chief.