Wilton puts foreclosed property out to bid

WILTON — The Board of Selectpersons unanimously voted Tuesday to put a foreclosed property out to bid, setting the minimally acceptable bid at $6,000.

Selectpersons are scheduled to open bids at their Feb. 6 meeting.

The property at 18 Adams St., formerly owned by Linda Jean Moon, has been vacant for three years. She had no heirs, according to Town Manager Rhonda Irish.

Irish said $4,854 is owed in back taxes. She suggested a minimum bid of $6,000 to cover those taxes and expenses.

The building is valued at $46,777 and the land at $17,312, for a total of $64,089.

The building, on about a quarter of an acre, is reportedly in good shape. Neighbors have been watching over the property, she said.

“We want to recoup money owed to us,” Selectperson Ruth Cushman said. “It seems like a reasonable amount.”

In other matters, Irish updated the board on three abandoned buildings on Main Street that are in violation of the town’s building and property ordinance. The ordinance sets a minimum standard for conditions and maintenance of the exterior of buildings and premises in three zoned areas of town.

The three properties, at 710, 650 and 625 Main St., have been designated to the town attorney for further action, she said. The owners have previously received copies of the ordinance and letters from the town, but the properties still contribute to “slum and blight” conditions under the ordinance.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, representatives from Ransom Consulting, the town’s consultants on the former Forster mill demolition, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and EnviroVantage, the low bidder on asbestos abatement and demolition of four sections of the mill, were on hand to answer questions about their work.

“We started abatement work at the mill on Depot Street today (Tuesday),” David Massaro, on-site manager for EnviroVantage, said.

He said he expected the work to break over the holidays and resume the first week of January. The asbestos should be removed within a couple weeks, he said.

The demolition work should start by the end of January or first of February, he said.

He said the hours of the demolition work are expected to be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the use of Bobcats, excavators and high-reach excavators.

Massaro said the dust from the demolition would be controlled by water. All work will be hosed down with a water mist. Hay and other materials will be used to form a barrier to ensure the water does not migrate away from the site.

Ransom Consulting and the state DEP will oversee the work, according to Jaime Madore of Ransom Consulting. It is pretty much the same team that did the Wilton Tannery project, she said.

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