VASSALBORO — A moldering eyesore on Main Street probably will be demolished to make way for new public space near a popular swimming hole.
Ray Breton, a self-employed builder and landlord who owns a number of Main Street properties, said he bought the single-family home at 986 Main St. a couple of months ago with the intention of tearing it down.
The 1 1/2-story house with a detached two-car garage is in extremely rough shape. The roof is sagging and sills are near the ground, Breton said. The condition is so bad that the town agreed not to tax the property after taking a brief tour of the house, he added.
“It’s just not livable,” Breton said.
Although it isn’t habitable, the house is next to a small swimming hole on Outlet Stream. His plan is to build a public gazebo or pavilion on the site, something to give people shelter if they are swimming and the weather takes a turn for the worse. The building should enhance the only truly public swimming area the town has, Breton said.
“It’s kind of a community thing, for the people in the town,” he said.
There’s no swimming in the China Lake basin, which provides drinking water to five communities, including Waterville, and public access to swimming has been cut off at Webber and Three Mile ponds.
“Vassalboro has three lakes, but you can’t swim in any of them. This is all we have,” Breton added.
Breton has bought and restored other properties in North Vassalboro, including the old American Woolen Mill and the Mill Agent’s House on Priest Hill Road.
He intends to demolish the Main Street house this year and fill in the foundation. He also has been working with the Department of Environmental Protection to clean up a suspected heating oil spill in the basement of the house.
Breton hopes to build a gazebo next year.
Peter McGuire — 861-9239
Twitter: PeteL_McGuire
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