CHINA — The town spent more than $12,000 on legal fees and demolition costs for the dilapidated buildings on Fire Road 60, an amount it hopes to recover once the parcel is sold.

Selectmen voted in August to require Judith Farris, 70, and her family to move out of the mobile home after an inspection showed no running water, mold, holes in the floor and ceiling, and other issues.

But the matter ended up in Superior Court when the family did not move by fall, forcing the town to get a demolition notice. By late February, the family had moved to Mount Vernon, and the town tore down the mobile home and two outbuildings on March 6.

The town spent $7,098 on legal fees, $4,000 on demolition and disposal, $150 to have a Dutchmen travel trailer removed from the property, and $866 on code enforcement officer costs, Town Manager Dan L’Heureux said. The town has placed a lien on the property and will get the money back when the parcel is sold.

A March 11 Probate Court decision terminates a trust that prevented the property from being sold, and it appears to have cleared the way for a sale.

In addition to helping the family look at potential apartments, the town paid to have the travel trailer moved to the family’s new home in Mount Vernon.

“We’re happy that the parties are relocated and living in a much improved situation,” L’Heureux said. “The town really did what it felt was right. It went the extra mile to help them relocate.”

Susan Cover — 621-5643
scover@mainetoday.com