Town Officials Order Water Street House Removed

An apartment house on Water Street destroyed by fire in late March is still standing, and town officials are demanding the owner remove it out of concern for public safety.

The house at 24 Water St. is owned by a real estate company based in Franklin. The principal, James Gagne, has been ordered by town Building Commissioner John Erickson to respond within seven days with an explanation of when it will be taken down.

The owner had initially promised to remove the building, but has apparently delayed the razing because of an insurance claim dispute. Gagne could not be reached by Milford Patch on Tuesday.

In a letter sent to Gagne on Monday, Erickson said he had not heard from him since a conversation March 27, when the fire destroyed the two-family home. The letter was sent following an inspection of the property Monday by Erickson and Milford Fire Chief John Touhey.

"The building has been properly secured as much as practical; however due to the damage it cannot be completely secured as the roof and portions of the wall have collapsed. As such the building remains unsafe," Erickson wrote.

In addition to being declared unsafe, the structure is now violating the town's nuisance bylaw, Erickson wrote. Ruined siding is dropping down off the building, and the burnt out remains are visible to more than a dozen homes. Residents have complained recently to town officials that the building is an eyesore.

The town's nuisance bylaw requires property owners to maintain their properties.

If the property owner does not remove the structure, the town may do so and seek reimbursement, under the state law authorizing the declaration of buildings as unsafe.

No one was injured in the overnight fire, although two families had to run from the structure and were displaced as a result.