Orange cones line a stretch of Route 5 in Albany Township where Richard Barnard has staked out what he said is a 30-foot boundary from the road’s centerline as state crews prepare to begin work.

Barnard said officials with the Maine Department of Transportation granted him a slight variance from the standard 33-foot work zone for the Songo Pond Road project, expected to start this month.

As of May 4, Barnard said he had been given one month to comply, leaving him a few more days to deal with a truck that does not run and a few other items sitting too close to the road.

The cones, though, mark only part of what’s in play on that stretch of Route 5.

On April 30, a representative from the Land Use Planning Commission visited the area with Oxford County’s manager of unorganized territories, Tony Carter, stopping at six or seven properties — most within about a mile — to look at potential violations.

In Barnard’s case, that included unregistered vehicles, campers and boats on the property.

Carter said he typically contacts the commission after getting “three or four or a dozen” calls from residents or when something catches his eye driving through. He often joins commission visits as a local presence and witness, especially since commission staff travel from Greenville and are stretched thin.

At an Albany Township community forum in September 2025, residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the many “junkyards” around town.

“One establishment has no water, no septic. Wastewater is running into Portland’s water supply,” Roberta White said.

The reference was to the Crooked River, which flows from nearby Songo Pond for dozens of miles to the Songo River, which empties into Sebago Lake.

“There are trailers and other structures with no wastewater systems or permits,” resident Steve Smith said.

The process that follows is gradual. Certified letters, expected to go out soon, outline violations and give property owners about a month to respond. After that comes follow-up visits and, if needed, additional citations.

Elsewhere in the township, similar efforts have been underway. On Hutchinson Pond Road, Carter said a property has seen significant cleanup, with 32 vehicles — along with trailers and boats — removed after earlier visits.

At the end of Pattee Brook Road, near the White Mountain National Forest boundary, structures have been taken down, though the site still needs more work that Carter’s department is unable to fund.

“It takes time,” Carter said, pointing to a case that stretched over several years. He said enforcement actions will continue in the coming weeks, with follow-up inspections planned after compliance deadlines pass.