LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen authorized the town manager Tuesday to contact the owner of a fire-damaged home on Main Street to see if he will have it torn down, otherwise the town may do it.
The home at 100 Main St. is owned by Percy Tassie of Rhode Island, who had no insurance on it, Fire Chief Edward Hastings IV said.
The fire on June 12 left one person dead and forced five others to flee, including two boys who jumped to safety from the upper floors.
It was unclear if the Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal was finished with its on-site investigation. The cause was undetermined because of the extensive damage.
Hastings said he has been trying to work with Tassie on cleaning up the property, but it appears he doesn’t have the means to demolish the building. There is asbestos siding on it, he said.
If Tassie doesn’t clean up the site, the town will have to have the house torn down, Code Enforcement Officer Rob Overton said. The building is very close to the sidewalk in the downtown area.
Overton agreed with Hastings that demolition and removal of debris and asbestos could run $25,000 to $30,000.
Town Manager Stephen Gould said he will talk to Tassie to see if he’s going to do anything. If he does not, selectmen authorized Gould to begin the process to take ownership of the house so it can be demolished.
Gould is also checking to see if the town could use money from the municipal tax-increment financing program to pay for work.
The property is in the TIF district approved by voters in 2014. The district includes the area of the Otis Falls Mill property in Livermore Falls, the downtown corridor from the Jay town line to the Depot Street/Park Street area, the town’s Wastewater Treatment Plant property, PalletOne/Isaacson Lumber Co. properties and some properties near the ReEnergy Holdings biomass plant.
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Livermore Falls officials are checking with the owner of a fire-damaged house at 100 Main St. to determine if he is going to tear it down. If not, the town may do so. (Sun Journal file photo)
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