RUMFORD — Selectmen were briefed Thursday night on 24 tax-acquired properties and the legal ramifications of ownership.
Town Manager John Madigan said the latest properties on the list are the Barnboard Tavern at 12 Oxford Ave., 447 Swain Road, 15 and 16 Front St., 226 Knox St., 103 South Rumford Road, 566 and 614 Prospect Ave. and 215 Penobscot St.
The others are 26 Erchles St.; 107 York St.; 426, 428 and 429 Waldo St.; 210 Falmouth St.; 109 Congress St.; 134 Penobscot St.; 41 Loch Ness Road; 387 High St.; 411 Cumberland St.; 222, 251 and 317 Pine St.; and a lot on Hillside Avenue.
Madigan said the board knew about some of the properties. However, due to the transition between town managers on Dec. 20, 2013, when Carlo Puiia left and selectmen hired Madigan, there was no action on the buildings.
At the board’s March 20 meeting, Madigan brought the board up-to-date on the matter.
He said that on Dec. 18, Code Enforcement Officer Rick Kent sent the town five letters regarding tax-acquired properties at: 21 Falmouth St.; 426, 428 and 429 Waldo St.; and 134 Penobscot St.
Madigan said some of these buildings could be put out to bid to be disposed of, because Puiia had an assessment done that revealed there weren’t any hazardous materials needing disposal in the 426 and 428 Waldo St. properties.
Selectman Frank DiConzo motioned to put 426 and 428 Waldo St. properties out for a demolition bid. That was approved 5-0. The consensus of the board was to proceed with the demolition of other tax-acquired properties.
On Thursday night, Madigan said he had the list of properties checked to confirm they were all tax acquired.
“Basically, the charter allows you to dispose of tax-acquired property on such terms, conditions and circumstances that you deem advisable, execute quitclaim deeds or sell them,” he said.
Madigan said he is still researching the town’s liability issues.
“According to state tax-acquired statues, the town’s position is unique in that we don’t have liability for everything if we don’t take possession, and we usually just bid them out,” he said.
Town attorney Jennifer Kreckel, speaking as president of local economic development group Envision Rumford, urged the board not to rush to get rid of the properties.
She asked them to consider cleaning them up and using them for economic development or offer them to young families. She didn’t want to see the properties go to low bidders who do nothing to improve them.
Madigan said he gave the code enforcement officer a copy of the list and asked him to check out the status of each property to determine if it has been abandoned, is a vacant lot or have people living in them.
Kreckel said the town would be liable for tax-acquired properties if people are living in them and aggressive action is taken to evict them.
“If there are people living in them and we don’t take any action on them, then we’re not going to be liable for them,” Kreckel said. “But if the buildings are already vacant, then we have to secure the building and we should check our insurance.”
“I want to make it clear to the citizens that we are not going to be evicting people out of their houses,” Selectmen Chairman Greg Buccina said.
However, he said that if selectmen are intent on removing blighted buildings from the community, it may mean asking people to be evicted.
“That doesn’t mean you can throw them out on the street the next day,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been accused of a few times before. But there is a process that needs to be followed and that process will be followed and people will be given plenty of opportunity to find additional places to stay.”
Kreckel said if the town tries to collect rent from any tenants who live in tax-acquired buildings, the town becomes liable.
The board will continue discussion on the matter at its next meeting.
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- Greg Buccina, chairman of the Rumford Board of Selectmen, speaks about tax-acquired buildings and what selectmen intend to do about them. He stressed that they’re not out to evict people from their homes.
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