WEST FARMINGTON – A public hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday to determine if the building on the west side of Center Bridge should be considered a safety hazard to the tenants living there. The hearing was scheduled by selectmen after investigators with the state’s Fire Marshal’s Office found 11 safety code violations on an inspection Oct. 9.
The three-story wood frame building with tents in front at 103 Bridge Street and owned by Joel S. Batzell, has been of concern by town officials for years. Officials have tried by various means to get the piles of various items, old school bus used for storage and billboard removed from the site.
The state was contacted after a complaint was received that a woman visiting a resident fell down a ladder that accesses a part of the building.
Fire Marshal Ed Bennett reported safety violations that include an insufficient chimney for the oil furnace, exposed electrical wiring and the use of extension cords throughout the structure, unsafe stairs, narrow hallways, lack of a fire wall between the living and storage areas and a ladder in use to reach a bed loft area where tenants sleep, according to the report.
Batzell is required by the state to respond with a plan of action to make all of the repairs and to provide certification by a licensed electrician and a structural engineer that the wiring and building meet the state’s fire code standards.
Batzell said he intends to correct the violations but has not yet submitted the form to the Fire Marshal’s Office that specifies how and when the corrections will be made. He was given 10 days to complete the form from the date he received it. The notification was sent Oct. 14.
Town officials were notified of the building’s violations and believe it is “currently a hazardous environment for the tenants of the building on this property,” according to a memo written by Steve Kaiser, the town’s code enforcement officer, to town officials.
Batzell said the two to five people staying at his building are invited as part of his Thought Bridge Ministry that provides shelter for those in need.
“Technically we have no tenants here. It’s a membership program people join,” he said. He also takes issue with the change in safety codes the state has adopted and noted he made improvements to the building 30 years ago in order to be compliant. He believes the improvements he made should be grandfathered and not fall under the current standards. According to Batzell, the original structure was built in 1820 and he bought it in 1973.
A public hearing will be held 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25 at the Farmington Municipal Building to determine if Batzell’s building falls under the state’s definition of a dangerous structure or nuisance and to discuss what plan of action should be taken.
It is possible town officials may order Batzell to vacate the building of all tenants if the violation corrections have not been met by a deadline set by town order or by signed consent agreement. Further action can include taking Batzell to court.
“What is happening to me can happen to anybody,” Batzell said.
I am appalled to read that Farmington officials are again harassing Joel Batzell, a gentle, caring, idealistic person who has long contributed to the spiritual beauty of this town. I sat in the courtroom on November 5 while Joel was prosecuted for allowing a 2-line ad for a carpet cleaning service to appear on his signboard for a few months. He thought it was legal because Susan LeJoy, the owner of Cole’s Carpet Cleaning, had rented part of his building. Everyone agreed that Susan LeJoy was at least as responsible as Joel for the “off premises advertising,” so if that was Steve Kaiser’s concern why didn’t he prosecute Susan? She lives in Farmington, but Kaiser talked as if he didn’t even know what town she lives in and cared less. He thought he might have telephoned her once, but couldn’t remember for sure. He obviously had no interest at all in her; it was Joel Batzell he was out to get.
If Joel accepts money for the use of his signboard without asking too many questions, and if he doesn’t fix all the code violations in his building, it is because like a lot of other people he is poor. Unlike a lot of other people he provides shelter for homeless people who can’t pay for it and who sometimes rip him off. He was in such weak health that he could barely walk into the courtroom, but he was informed that if he commits another “sign related violation” his sign will be taken down. If that happens Joel will lose a source of his very limited income, and Farmington will lose an irreplaceable landmark. Where else can a message of hope and faith be posted in the view of everyone who crosses Center Bridge?
Joel has a preposterous belief in freedom of speech. He thinks the Constitution means it. He never gets mad at the people who are giving him a hard time–at least, not nearly as mad as I get.
Joel can’t even mount the name of his building–THOUGHTBRIDGE–on his front gable where it had been for 30 years, due to persistent harassment about his sign. I remember Thoughtbridge as one of the most interesting things that caught my eye every time I came into Farmington, starting in 1978. I gave Thoughtbridge a major role in my novel, FARMINGTON! FARMINGTON!, but now newcomers to Farmington don’t even know where Thoughtbridge is.
What harm has Joel ever done anybody that town officials want to see him homeless on the street and the services he provides ended? Are they just trying to look busy by hassling someone who is extremely easy to find and can’t afford a good lawyer? I repeat, there will never be another Joel S. Batzell. There will never be another Thoughtbridge. There will never be another lamp like his lifted over our Center Bridge. If Joel needs help let’s give it to him, but please, please let’s stop harassing him.
Licia Kuenning