NORWAY — The fate of the substandard apartment building of Main Street remains in the hands of the town’s attorney, Town Manager David Holt said.

Attorney Geoffrey H. Hole of Bernstein Shur in Portland advised Code Enforcement Officer Joelle Corey-Whitman last week that the town should go to Superior Court in Paris to get Patrick McInnis and his renters out of 168 Main St. for their own safety. However, town officials are concerned about where they will go.

“I suspect that we will move slowly given that this is new to us,” Holt said.

The problem, officials said, is determining whether a property owner who lives on site can be evicted and where all the occupants would go since winter is approaching. An alternative for tenants who cannot find housing is to put them in a local motel at town expense.

McInnis, 70, said he has lived in the building for decades and does not want to leave.

On Sept. 4, selectmen agreed to delay a condemnation vote after Corey-Whitman said she was hopeful McInnis would make all the repairs soon. But when she returned for an inspection, she said there remained too many safety issues to allow the tenants and owner to remain there.

Some repairs have been done, such as ceilings, but as of last week major electrical deficiencies still existed, including smoke detectors hardwired together, switches not grounded, some wires seared and and an excess of materials in the basement that prevents easy access to problem electrical boxes.

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