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FARMINGTON – Selectmen decided to give a tenant more time clear out the piles of junk, appliances and old cars after he assured the board he was already working on it.
A public hearing was held tonight to see if the property at 466 Industry Road which is owned by Marc Hand and occupied by James Hasty, should be considered an illegal junkyard and/or a nuisance structure, according to the town and state statutes.
All, including Hasty who attended the meeting, agreed the property needs to be cleared of the miscellaneous debris, old cars, several appliances, scrap lumber and more sitting in the front yard.
Steve Kaiser, the town’s code enforcement officer, said he’d received complaints and after looking at the property sent a letter in June explaining the need to clean it up or face town action. Hand said he’d clean it up but by Sept. 21 nothing apparently had been accomplished so Kaiser wrote another letter. Not getting any response he sent notification of the public hearing tonight.
“I guess I got carried away,” Hasty said of the property’s items out front. “I did get an old van, a chair and a couch out of there today, but I’ve got a lot more to go.”
“Take care of the front yard and you’ll be all set,” Selectman Jon Bubier told Hasty. Kaiser also noted that putting the items in the backyard, a neighbor’s concern, doesn’t solve the problem.
Hasty wanted to know how to apply for a junkyard permit but Kaiser said the property wouldn’t qualify because according to town ordinance, the junkyard needs to be back 100 feet from a public way. The property has frontage on Industry and Skunk Hollow roads.
Selectmen gave Hasty two weeks until the next selectmen’s meeting to get the yard cleared of junk.
Another property selectmen have been coaxing towards a cleanup is the house at 185 Maple Ave. that was partially destroyed by fire last winter. Jonathan and Benjamin Cummings did get help from a church group to get the charred debris disposed of and the house somewhat boarded up, but selectmen at their last meeting asked that the structure be sided with boards or vinyl as well.
“At what point are we over-stepping our bounds?” Selectman Ryan Morgan asked. He said the board’s issue all along was one of safety, but requiring it be sided is another thing. He added there are a number of homes that use typar, a waterproof fabric, until a more permanent siding can be added later.
Kaiser responded that the structure should be sheathed or sided, without showing holes in the structure as it does now. Rough plywood has been added to the street side of what was the house. The barn attached behind it was untouched by the fire and the bothers currently live there.
“We did go further on how we prescribed to button it up,” Kaiser admitted. He added the Cummings are “strapped cash-wise” and are working to keep their bills paid and the water and heat on.
Selectman Steve Bunker said he wanted to see the gaping holes covered to close in the building for winter but otherwise leave the siding issue to the homeowners.
“Beyond the safety aspects, we’re done,” Bubier said.
Theres another property on Morrison Hill Road in Farmington thats already been condemned by the town and yet the owner never seems to get bothered. This gentleman hasn’t had a life changing event such as a fire or anything. This gentleman has brought down the property value of those beside him for years. I find it interesting that once a property has been deemed condemned the town has done nothing to enforce it. I guess it depends on who you are.
I can’t imagine wanting town officials to harass any of my neighbors unless they were doing something much worse than the things we read about. Thank you Ryan Morgan for recognizing that there should be some limits to this kind of interference.