By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — Two dangerous buildings, both located off Route 11 in Webbs Mills Village, will be removed through the demolition process.

The timelines will be slightly different. That’s because the town recently purchased one of the lots, a parcel with burned out home at 466 Poland Springs Rd. Since the town is the owner, the disposal process can be fast-tracked. 

For the second structure, located 475 Poland Springs Rd., the state law must be followed.

On Nov. 14, a public hearing was held to determine if the structure could be categorized as a building that could be removed by the town. That long-abandoned house was deemed dangerous and inhabitable. However, there is a 45-day wait once the homeowner receives an official letter via a deputy from Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). After that month and a half period, if the owner does not remove structure from property, the town has the legal go-ahead to put the building removal out to bid. Additionally, the town can tax the owner to get reimbursed. 

On Nov. 14, the Casco Board of Selectmen voted to direct the town manager to solicit three bids to get rid of the burned out home that sits next to Webbs Mills Park, on the lot now owned by the town.

“I want to see if the board is comfortable obtaining three quotes or if I should use RFPs. With getting quotes, it’ll be quicker. With RFPs, there is more transparency” Casco Town Manager Tony Ward said.

Chairman Rob MacDonald shared his thoughts.

“For myself, because we want to be transparent, I would go with the RFPs,” he said.

Selectman Grant Plummer said he favored the faster method. 

“That building is in a sensitive environment. That thing needs to go away as soon as possible to protect the water quality there. I think we take three (3) bids and deal with it soon as possible,” Plummer said.

His comment swayed the other selectmen. The vote was unanimousto give the town manager the go-ahead to reach out to contractors, asking them to bid to dispose of the building. 

Also during that selectmen’s meeting, the public hearing was held to categorize the structure at 475 Poland Spring Rd., as being so unsafe as to pose a public hazard. 

Attorney Benjamin McCall, of Jensen Baird Gardiner and Henry, was present so that proceedings followed legal guidelines. 

“At the end of the day, the town will have the option to take the building down and bill the property owner the cost,” McCall said. 

Casco Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) John Weissman testified before the board.

The building on the property “had a fire 10 or 15 years ago. It was never repaired. It was abandoned. There are holes in the walls. The back wall is collapsing. There are animals living in it. At one point, it looked like some people were squatting in there or hanging out in there,” Weissman said. 

The owner is Gloria Adams, and the town has not received communication from her. 

Weissman stated he had made multiple efforts to contact her. 

“We looked on Facebook. We sent numerous letters. I got one of the daughter’s names. I went on Facebook and asked her to contact me,” he said.

That daughter was estranged from her mother, but provided contact information for her sister, he said. 

“The other daughter said, ‘We’ll tell mom.’ There was never any dialogue after that,” Weissman said.

One of the neighbors, Sam Brown, spoke at the hearing. 

“Our property abuts the Adam’s house. I filed a complaint with the town in 2020. I followed up 6 months ago. I walk by it every morning. I look at the back side of the property. The wall is falling in on itself. Periodically, pieces of the metal roofing end up on Route 11 and [one of the neighbors] removes it from road and leans it against the building so vehicles don’t run over it,” Brown said. 

Selectman Plummer had issue with this safety hazard, too. 

“I drive by it multiple times a day. It is one that needs to be dealt with,” he said.