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Select Board confronts chronic trash and suspected septic failure at 605 Mountain View Road
Summary
Board members and residents described a decades-long accumulation of household garbage and suspected failed septic at 605 Mountain View Road, calling it a public-health and fire hazard and weighing options ranging from outreach and monthly dumpster agreements to town-contracted cleanups with liens or formal condemnation orders.
The Tinmouth Select Board spent a lengthy portion of its meeting reviewing long-running complaints about property conditions at 605 Mountain View Road, where neighbors report household garbage piled to the eaves and indications that the septic system has failed. Chair (speaker 1) said the problem "is a health issue," and the board agreed the chair will take on health-officer duties for inspection and next steps.
Board members, highway staff and a resident outlined a range of options the town could pursue if voluntary cleanup fails: negotiating a dumpster pickup agreement with property occupants, hiring a contractor to clear the site and placing a municipal lien on the property to recover costs, or, if necessary, pursuing condemnation or a board-of-health order. Resident (speaker 8) suggested a practical first step: "We'll put a dumpster on the property. It comes every month and picks up your garbage." Board members cautioned that enforcement is legally and practically complicated, especially because past responses have included threats to staff and inconsistent state support for enforcement.
Speakers described prior on-site visits by town officers and the state fire marshal, and noted the town has previously been unable to compel cooperation. Several members urged a staged approach: outreach and formal offers to assist first, contracting cleanup only if outreach fails, and documenting costs and safety risks to support any lien or legal action. The board asked staff to research cleanup vendors, likely dumpster sizes, and the legal process for placing liens or issuing health orders and to report back at a future meeting.
