A Farmington man has been given until mid-October to tear down and haul away the remains of a mobile home that has brought complaints from neighbors since it was damaged in a fire in March.
Both Town Manager Richard Davis and Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser said they have received complaints about the appearance and odor of the mobile home at the corner of Morrison Hill and Voter Hill roads.
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Landowner Robin Hutchinson met with the Board of Selectmen Tuesday for a hearing on whether to declare the home a dangerous property under state law.The statute allows the town to declare a building unfit for safe human occupation and order it torn down.
Hutchinson told the board he’s tearing the mobile home down by hand and hopes to have it done by September. The board gave him until Oct. 14.
The board had the option Tuesday of issuing an order for demolition and removal of the home at 187 Morrison Hill Road. If the town acted to have the home razed, it could then bill Hutchinson for its expenses, including the actual cost of the clean up and the cost of time spent by the town attorney on the issue.
The mobile home, previously occupied by Hutchinson’s 86-year-old mother, was damaged beyond repair in an electrical fire in March.
Hutchinson told the board he has been trying to tear down the property by himself, but it is a laborious process that takes time and money. He told the board he had been tearing down the mobile home as quickly as he is able to by himself using a wheelbarrow and hand tools.
He said that he expected to have the mobile home torn down by the end of September and didn’t expect the town to need to summon him before the board again.
“I won’t be back. I want to get it taken care of,” he said.
The board agreed with the Oct. 14 recommendation of Selectman Josh Bell, who said while Hutchinson said he could finish the project by the end of September, the extra time would ensure he had enough time.
Kaiser said he has tried to set up Hutchinson with government programs to help with the demolition, but Hutchinson did not meet the required criteria.
“There’s certain thresholds you have to meet,” Kaiser said.
Chairman Ryan Morgan told Hutchinson that the town wants to work with him to address the problem and encouraged Hutchinson to communicate with Kaiser as demolition progresses.”If you work with Steve, Steve will work with you,” said Morgan.
Kaiser said there are three mobile homes on Hutchinson’s property, and along with the burned unit, there is a second mobile home that would likely fit the criteria of a dangerous property. However, Kaiser said he first wanted to deal with clearing the destroyed mobile home and then talk about a timetable for the other structure.
Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252
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