Owner of historic downtown building and council discuss courtesy notice; council gives three months to secure structure

An owner of a downtown commercial building and the council discussed a courtesy notice regarding a reportedly dilapidated structure; the owner said she intends to repair and maintain the building and the council agreed to obtain the code officer’s report and give time to secure the property.

The owner described the building’s historic role in town and said she had pledged to preserve it; she said she has begun patching and planned further work but lacks the resources for a larger restoration. Council members and staff referred to a courtesy notice issued for a dilapidated structure; the notice was described as informational rather than a formal ordinance violation. Council members asked code enforcement for specifics and agreed to get the underlying report from the code officer, Henry.

The council determined the property must be secured and said it would allow a three-month period for the owner to take corrective steps or present a remediation plan. One council member said, “If you have fence around it and it's secured and the doors are locked and you have windows worn out and covers and people can't get into it, then by that theory and logic, it's probably secured.” The town did not issue an order to demolish at the meeting.

Council staff will provide the owner and the council with the code officer’s findings and keep the matter on the agenda for follow-up; no enforcement action was taken while staff collects more information.