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Neighbors press Select Board to force cleanup at foreclosed Lake Arrowhead property, citing alleged drug activity and biohazards
Summary
Abutters described months of unresolved trash, campers, and alleged drug activity at a foreclosed Lake Arrowhead property; residents said the building was posted uninhabitable but occupants still access the house and yard, and urged the board to pursue stronger legal action or change counsel to speed resolution.
Residents from the Division Road/Lake Arrowhead area told the Select Board they remain alarmed about a foreclosed property they say has been a repeated source of trash, human waste and criminal activity.
Shawn Mackey, who identified himself as an abutter, said the property had been the subject of repeated complaints and that town code‑enforcement inspections identified the house and an adjacent camper and covered pile as biohazards. "He determined everything in that place and the house is a biohazard," Mackey told the board, recounting sanitation concerns, rodents and evidence of drug cooking at the site.
Multiple residents described long delays in getting a legal remedy; they said the mortgage/ownership situation is confused (with references to a VA payment and difficulty locating the servicer), and they blamed slow court action and inconsistent guidance from the town attorney and code enforcement for the delay. A public commenter said state police have largely ceased routine responses because of repeated, conflicting statements about whether occupants have permission to be on the property.
Several residents urged the board to take more aggressive steps: document current conditions with photographs, press the town attorney to obtain a judicial judgment or change counsel if needed, and consider acquisition and demolition if title issues are resolvable. One resident noted a low bid of roughly $14,000 to demolish the structure and argued the town could recover costs through sale of the cleared lot; the board said staff would consult the attorney and report back.
Board members acknowledged limits imposed by the legal process and said staff (including code enforcement) has been working the issue; they agreed to contact the town attorney for a status update and discussed the possibility of seeking new counsel if progress continues to stall. No formal vote or new appropriation was taken at the meeting.
