Hampden Council opts to raze 2 buildings deemed dangerous

HAMPDEN – To town officials, the aging brown building on Route 1A with its roof and walls caving in represents an eyesore and a danger, while to its owner, it’s a historic site that could be repaired or replaced.

Those two widely diverging opinions came during discussions Tuesday at the Hampden Town Council meeting where councilors decided the disposition of this building and a second, smaller shack in a similar if not worse condition. Both buildings, located at Crestwood Trailer Park, had been described in a report of a May 1 inspection as having been dangerous buildings and in need of coming down.

And although there was no disagreement as to the ultimate fate of the refuse-filled shack in the back of the trailer park – it was ordered razed by Oct 16 – a representative of the troubled trailer park questioned the assessment of town inspectors as to the home with wooden log exterior.

Located about 50 feet from Route 1A and partially obscured by a trailer, the home is a fire hazard and danger to any curious kid playing hide and seek or clambering through it, not to mention any rescue crews who would be asked to recover anyone injured inside, town officials said.

Like the shed where building and fire Inspector Keith Barnhard said town inspectors “didn’t want to chance it” and enter, inspectors didn’t enter the log-fa?ade home.

But attorney Paul Weeks, representing Crestwood owner David Luce as of last Friday, said he had ventured into the building that he described as an Adirondack-style cabin. Inside he found the fireplace was still solid and went deep down to the foundation on ledge. The interior walls were varnished cedar and admittedly while the outside needed work, “The interior is still quite nice.”

“Sadly, yes it is in a state of disrepair but it is still an attractive building,” Weeks told the council.

Then, in an apparent attempt to delay the timetable of the order to raze the building and give his client a little breathing room, Weeks spoke of the possible historical significance of the cabin, in a town steeped in history with the likes of Hannibal Hamlin.

The cabin, it seems, is the last standing speakeasy in town and that in the 1950s when U.S. airmen lived in the area of the park, the building was an informal recreation area and place for them to do laundry.

In fact, Weeks said, the town’s historical society was putting the building on the agenda of their next meeting on Monday, Sept. 8.

During a recess in the meeting, Town Manager Sue Lessard said she didn’t know of any instance when the historical society approached the town about the cabin and saving it for posterity.

Meanwhile, the cabin has been suffering for years.

“This building has been falling down for years,” said Deputy Fire Chief Mike Andersen.

Luce, through Weeks, had sought to put off demolishing the shack until the end of March 2004 and have the cabin taken down some time after that.

A compromise involving Town Manager Lessard had also been worked out before the meeting to extend the deadline later into the fall and Councilor Carl Pease made a motion to put off demolition to the end of the year, although his motion failed for lack of a second.

Weeks contended the extra time would allow Luce to concentrate on making improvements more in line with living conditions, such as improving sagging ceilings and walls in a couple of trailers.

But councilors weren’t swayed and voted 6-0 with one abstention to set Oct. 16 as the deadline for bringing down both buildings. The council further stipulated that by Sept. 17, Luce had to close the cabin securely and put a fence around it to prevent any access to it.