Town officials also are trying to get the owners of the former Three Rivers Grammar School to clean up that property.
This is the property at 3030 Main St. in Bondsville that will be the subject of a hearing Tuesday at the Palmer Board of Health meeting.PALMER - The Board of Health will hold a hearing on Tuesday regarding a problem property at 3030 Main St. in the Bondsville section.
Health Inspector Lorri McCool inspected Joseph Martowski's property in May, and found it to be in violation, as there is more than the 50 cubic yards of junk and debris allowed under town ordinances.
A visit to the property on Monday showed a stove, dryer, bed frame, grills and other assorted items piled near the sidewalk.
Martowski, who could not be reached for comment, was notified of the violation in a June 21 letter and told he had 30 days to clean it up. Martowski requested the hearing before the board about the property, according to McCool.
The nuisance ordinance states that no owner, tenant or other entity shall keep in the public view any substantial amount of junk or debris for more than a reasonable amount of time.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Town Building.
Board of Health Chairman Paul E. Benard said he hears frequent complaints about the Main Street property.
This isn't the first time the board has had issues with Martowski. In 2005, the board discussed the excessive debris problem at 3030 Main St. and 3065 High St., also in Bondsville, and three years before that, the junk became a court matter. McCool said it cost the town $4,000 to clean up Martowski's property, an amount that inadvertently was never attached to his property with a lien.
In other business, town officials are continuing to attempt to get the owners of the former Three Rivers Grammar School on Bridge Street to clean it up. This has been an ongoing issue, dating back to November when health, building, police and fire officials toured the property.
In a March letter to owners Kenneth and Karen Krohn, McCool and Building Inspector Richard W. Rollet declared the building at 2010 Bridge St. unfit for human habitation, and cited concerns about debris and leaves outside, broken and missing windows, holes in the floors and stairs, asbestos in the basement and numerous books and computer equipment piled inside the building.
The Krohns were told that a special permit would be needed from the Planning Board to use the building as a warehouse. They were told that the camper parked outside the building can be used for a maximum of 20 days. Police also found that four vehicles on the property were unregistered, violating town ordinances.
The last letter from the Krohns was received by town officials on May 9, and requests an additional 60 days to make improvements, which was granted. They wrote that Kenneth, 73, broke his ankle in January, and that the injury has impeded their efforts to improve the building and get it into compliance.
"We've given them more than enough time with little or no response," McCool said. "We'll be going forward with some legal filing in court."
Contacted by phone, the Krohns said they have made improvements, and replaced windows and floors. They still want to transform the old school into a private library showcasing Kenneth's expansive book collection. They say they bought the building in rough shape in 2008, and said progress has been slow because they are trying to do all the work themselves.
"We hate to be under the glare of public scrutiny ... We want to do the best we can by it," Kenneth Krohn said.
Karen Krohn said the issues with unregistered vehicles have been resolved. They bought the 101-year-old building, last used 20 years ago, for $130,000.