BUCKSPORT, Maine — A few weeks ago, the Bucksport town council decided to force all the people living at the former Spring Fountain Motel, now known as the Fountain Inn, to move out. They did so because the motel consistently failed to meet safety code.
Since the hearing on April 8 was held, the town's code enforcement officer Luke Chiavelli went to the property to post the dangerous building order on each door, advising people they had two days to leave.
Susan Lessard is Bucksport's town manager. She said there are two rooms that are still occupied and the town attorney is applying for a court order to allow for the removal of the people who haven't left.
The attorney said it can take up to a month to get the court order, to evict the last few residents to leave, but Lessard said the property's owner can start work now in the rooms that are vacant.
13 days ago, the town council gave him 30 days to start working on the property and 90 days to complete the totality of the work. Chiavelli told NEWS CENTER Maine that no work has been done yet.
Town officials have secured two of the three entrances of the former motel with jersey barriers, and the owner made sure all of the vacant room doors are locked.
"The owner could start work now if they chose to, there is nothing that says they can't, but there is also a 30-day appeal window from the day that the order was issued," Lessard said.
Lessard said she doesn't yet know if the owner will appeal this decision to superior court, she says the property owner's attorney called her last week inquiring about what the appeal process was.
"I directed them to superior court because that would be their avenues for appeal," Lessard said.
The owner has to fix the electrical, heating, and plumbing systems, fix falling ceilings, remove mold and mildew from the rooms that have it, have a permanent trash pick-up system, room fire alarms have to be up and running, among other things.