Craig Pollis wants to be able to rent out “the little house” next door to his own home on Main Street in Readfield.
But the town code enforcement officer deemed 323 Main St. as dangerous and unfit for human habitation in November, and the Board of Selectmen will decide at their regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday whether the condition of the structure constitutes a dangerous building that is also a nuisance. The meeting, originally set for Monday, was rescheduled in response to weather forecasts.
Pollis said Monday that he intends to attend the meeting in hopes of working out something with the town.
“I am praying,” Pollis said. “I’m on a fixed income, and I don’t have an attorney.”
Town Manager Eric Dyer said Monday that the selectboard will make the decision on how to proceed.
“The goal, as with most communities, is to have the building fixed and to have it become compliant,” Dyer said. “We initiated the proceedings because we are basically out of options on how to proceed.”
The notice also says that Pollis “allowed individuals to reside in the rental unit in December 2015 and through January 2016.” It says a reasonable time to do repairs and seek an occupancy permit has lapsed. Dyer said the board has not had any contact with the property owner.
The board could seek to have the building demolished and bill the owner for the work.
Pollis said he attempted to fix some of the problems with the home.
“The roof leaks when there’s a good downpour,” he said. “I started redoing the roof as much as I could,” he said, adding that he also replaced an entrance door.
A 28-year resident of the town, Pollis said, “Without the income from the little house, I’d have to sell my property.”
Pollis, 59, is retired and disabled.
He said the two-story, two-bedroom rental unit, which shares a driveway with his home, is about 100 years old. He upgraded it some years ago with the assistance of a $25,000 zero interest loan from the Maine State Housing Authority.
In November, the town posted the building as dangerous and unsafe and warned others by placing a red sign in front of the building after the occupancy permit was revoked by the selectboard on Nov. 2, 2015.
Pollis said he was told he could show the property to prospective tenants, but that no one could occupy it.
He said an older couple placed a camper trailer about 200 feet from the rental house and are living in the trailer until repairs can be completed. Then they hope to move into the home.
Betty Adams — 621-5631
Twitter: @betadams
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