SKOWHEGAN — An appeals board Thursday upheld numerous code violations issued to a local church-run homeless shelter, most of which were undisputed.

The Skowhegan Zoning Board of Appeals’ 4-0 decision came one month after Code Enforcement Officer Aaron Crocker issued a notice of violation to Shelters By Jesus, housed within the Trinity Evangelical Free Church at 12 McClellan St.

Appeals board Chairman Garrett Quinn said numerous times throughout the meeting, which drew about two dozen members of the public, that the board’s jurisdiction was limited to determining whether officials were correct in finding the 27 violations during an inspection of the shelter on Dec. 23, 2025.

“That’s the only thing we can decide,” Quinn said.

Ken Allen, chairman of the shelter’s board of directors, largely did not dispute the violations. He instead asked the board to give the shelter more time to comply.

“We are here for one reason: to protect life,” Allen said to begin his presentation. “That means reducing fire risk immediately and preventing the harm that comes from abruptly displacing vulnerable people.”

Allen said 21 of the 27 issues from the December inspection have been addressed in recent weeks.

Shelter leaders have developed a three-phase plan and were asking for a 180-day extension to execute the outstanding items, Allen said. He also suggested if that were to be granted, the shelter would comply with temporary conditions such as an occupancy cap, and work with the town on scheduling regular check-ins on progress and inspections.  

Town Manager Nicholas Nadeau said earlier this month that town officials wanted to work with the shelter on a corrective action plan and had no intention of kicking people out, but no one from the shelter had contacted them to work toward a solution.

Initially unaware of the narrow scope of the appeal, the only specific code violation Allen disputed related to a required sprinkler system, which he said may be “insurmountable” after consulting contractors. The shelter has a quote for building a new structure on its property if building the suppression system proves too challenging, Allen said.

At the end of his testimony, Allen also mentioned he believed the fire suppression system code infraction would be a violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The federal law generally protects religious institutions from discrimination under zoning laws.

Quinn responded that interpreting federal law was far beyond the local appeals board’s purview and suggested he raise that issue in court. Thursday’s decision can be appealed to the state Superior Court.

Town officials have said that failure to comply with the findings could result in penalties of $100 to $2,500 per violation each day.

Town officials on Thursday stood by the issues cited in the notice of violations and an attached a report from the fire marshal’s office. Both fire Chief Ryan Johnston and Crocker testified the list of 27 citations was accurate. The two conducted the December inspection with the assistance of Office of State Fire Marshal inspectors Scott Cyr and Aaron Marden, records show.

Among other issues, they found nonfunctioning smoke detectors; a lack of fire alarm and sprinkler systems; improper venting for dryers; blocked egresses; exposed wiring; extension cords used in place of proper wiring; wood boiler system issues; out-of-date fire extinguishers; and improper exit signage.

The church was inspected under the provisions for occupancy as a “hotel” because of the number of people living there, fire inspectors wrote. That was one of the violations, too — that the building is registered as an assembly space and never applied for change in occupancy.

“The inspection was initiated in response to multiple complaints alleging that the building was being utilized as a dormitory to house individuals,” Crocker wrote in his report.

The current code enforcement involvement began with complaints of a bedbug problem in September 2025, according to a timeline compiled by town officials.

Johnston, the fire chief, wrote in his separate report on the inspection that he requested the assistance of the fire marshal’s office because of the number of people believed to be at the shelter.

He also said in his report that the shelter has long had code problems.

Town records show several instances in which local code enforcement and the state fire marshal’s office have been involved with issues at the shelter, dating as far back as 2009.

Nadeau said earlier this month he was unsure how town officials were approaching inspections at the property in recent years. He and Crocker started working for the town in 2025; Johnston has worked for the town for about three years but has been chief for only about seven months.

The Rev. Richard Berry, who has been pastor at the church since 1992, said he started offering shelter space on the property 18 years ago.

The property includes the church — subject of the current controversy — and an adjacent men’s shelter, built in 2011. 

Berry, 77, said he started letting families stay in the church in the years after the men’s shelter opened.

The program has served thousands of people, he said, and some people have stayed there for months or years. The shelter, funded by donations to the religious organization, also runs a food pantry and serves meals.   

“Had (town officials) called us, and said ‘Ken, Pastor Berry, these violations are unacceptable — tell us how high to jump, and we’ll jump,” Allen said. “We would’ve done it; we would’ve done whatever. We always have for 18 years.”