Abandoned and unsightly properties were central topics at the October 20 Select Board meeting at the Marion Town House.
Officials and authorities discussed a dilapidated, abandoned home at 28 Pitcher Street, which neighbors say has become a site visited by wild animals such as raccoons and possibly even fisher cats.
“Why is there no policy for vacant properties that sit and sit and deteriorate?” resident Margie Baldwin asked.
Other neighbors said this home, which is also allegedly rodent-infested, devalues the neighborhood.
John Murray, who is building a home on 36 Pitcher Street, recommended that the fire department inspect the property for potential fire safety issues and vagrancy.
“Hearing about property taxes not paid infuriates me,” Murray said.
Select Board Chairman John Hoagland said he has lived in town for 40 years and has been hearing about this home for 20.
Hoagland said only the health board can condemn a property, but it reached out to the Select Board for leadership and guidance. Some legal issues prevent authorities from visiting a property without owner permission.
Hoagland directed Town Administrator Geoffrey Gorman to ask the fire department to investigate the potential fire and related issues. He also recommended that Gorman investigate whether the town can seek help from the state Attorney General’s office.
Hoagland said the town should have a municipal policy addressing such abandoned homes.
According to town records, the home once belonged to Barbara Garty Balboni, but she died in 2010, and the home now belongs to an estate.
The Select Board, for the second consecutive time in two months, addressed unpaid property taxes, dating back to the early 1990s. Some of these homes and properties are abandoned, but others still have occupants receiving town water and sewer services.
Officials have said at least $3 million is owed to the town, and Hoagland said some properties have received water and sewer services for the past 10 years but have not paid their taxes.
Gorman said he is working on reaching out to these homeowners to collect taxes. But for abandoned homes, Select Board members Randy Parker and Toby Burr said it might be more costly to bring some of these properties back into compliance.
In other business, Baldwin, also chair of the Parks & Tree committee, received Select Board permission for the tree warden to begin removing an estimated 100-year-old red oak tree on Park Street.
Baldwin said some residents have noted unusual roots connected to the tree, and removal is necessary for public safety.
She said the historical nature of this tree calls for a vote from the Select Board, which was granted.
Baldwin said she is unsure of plans to replant another tree, given the costs.
The Select Board also approved, for the second time in the last month, a liquor license for Marion Town Liquors on Route 6.
The applicant’s attorney said the state Alcohol Beverage Control Commission overturned last month’s Select Board vote because abutters were not notified.
The Select Board granted the license, but only on conditions that the new license holder improve plumbing and other issues there, including mattresses and unsightly items on the property.
The applicant and attorney said they expect those issues to be resolved within the next few weeks.
Marion Select Board
By Jeffrey D. Wagner