LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen on Tuesday evening, Dec. 17, chose several courses of action for 22 properties the town now owns due to unpaid sewer fees.
At the Dec. 3 selectmen meeting, a list of 22 properties [with 20 owners] that had been automatically foreclosed on due to unpaid sewer fees was shared. The process began in May of 2023 and the town became the owner on Dec. 2, it was noted then.
Selectmen held a workshop on Dec. 10 to review each property, learn more about it and provide suggestions for what should be done with it. No actions were taken at that meeting.
Two owners of three properties have paid all past due amounts since Dec. 10, Town Manager Carrie Castonguay said Tuesday. Selectmen voted to provide quit claim deeds for those properties, located at 189 and 201 Park and 8 Bridge streets.
Selectmen voted to sell seven parcels. For six [11 Cargill, 41 Main, 22 Gilbert, 18 Millett, 19 Prospect, and 69 Church streets] the town’s attorney, Jensen Baird, will dispose of the property through a local broker per the Town of Livermore Falls Disposition of Tax Acquired and Town Owned Property Policy. They voted to sell 28 and 30 Church streets [there is one sewer hook up for the former Methodist Church and parsonage] by sealed bid with a minimum price reflecting all sewer and property tax arrears, costs, interest and administrative fees. The bid must include the amount bid, bidder’s intention for the property, and examples of past projects the bidder has completed.
Selectmen voted that three owners will be worked with to develop repayment agreements to regain their properties at 21 Gagnon St., 46 Knapp St., and 12 Bellaire Drive. The property at 202 Foundry Rd. involves a mortgage company that has not responded to contact attempts. Town Manager Carrie Castonguay was charged with providing an update regarding a repurchase agreement after March 1, 2025.
Four properties [4 Maple, 34 Otis, 80 Depot and 5 Gordon streets] were tabled until March 1, 2025, to give time for mortgage companies to respond. Also tabled was 12 Reynolds Ave. as the owner is working with a broker to sell the property.
The property at 95 Park St. was tabled until the Jan. 17, 2025, meeting to confirm a quit claim deed will be provided after clean up work is completed. Adam Castonguay of Castonguay Construction estimated it would cost about $20,000 to clean up the burned out lot and was willing to do the work in exchange for a deed to the property, Carrie Castonguay, the town manager said.
Selectman Bruce Peary asked if the deed could be given after the work was completed. The town manager said she would find out.
At the request of the town manager, 8 Searles St. was tabled with no explanation or discussion.
Selectman Bruce Peary later in the meeting said going through the sewer foreclosures process was very educational. “I had no idea about a lot of this,” he noted. “I learned a lot at the workshop and going through it tonight was much easier.”
In the past there hasn’t been any real teeth to not keeping up with payments, Peary said. Having it addressed in the media, “now the public is aware that these policies have teeth that can bite you,” he noted. “I think that people are going to see this administration is really following up and working through the things that we are supposed to be doing.”
“It benefits everyone when things are kept up to date,” Peary stated. “I hope that what we did tonight shows that we are not unsympathetic or unempathetic. We are more than willing to work with people. If they are willing to work with us we are willing to work with them. I think that is important to know.”
General information about the sewer foreclosures
Liens were filed on all properties on May 25, 2023.
On Aug. 24, 2023, 30-day notices were sent.
Notice of impending foreclosures were sent on Oct. 24, 2024.
Automatic foreclosures took effect Dec. 2, 2024.
Payments made must be applied to the oldest unpaid amount first. Once the oldest is paid in full, payments are applied to the next oldest amount and so forth until all are paid.
Information for properties foreclosed on due to unpaid sewer fees
11 Cargill St.
Assessed value of property: $34,600.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $659.56.
Total sewer fees due: $1,505.81.
Last sewer payment was 7/27/2023.
This property was owned by the town in 2018. Current owner has a different address.
Certified letters came back unclaimed.
21 Gagnon St.
Assessed value of property: $22,800.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $1,583.37.
Total sewer fees due: $3,105.97.
Last sewer payment was 11/27/2024.
202 Foundry Rd.
Assessed value of property: $72,400.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $1,017.31.
Total sewer fees due: $2,274.16.
Last sewer payment was 7/19/2021.
Certified letters came back unclaimed.
Mortgage company has been contacted, had not heard back as of Dec. 10.
46 Knapp St.
Assessed value of property: $63,500.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $1,678.02.
Total sewer fees due: $3,462.07.
Last sewer payment was 5/09/2023.
Some certified letters came back unclaimed. Town was able to make contact differently, was told sewer bills weren’t received, that the mortgage had sold three times since 2022.
4 Maple St.
Assessed value of property: $59,400.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $854.75.
Total sewer fees due: $2,089.31.
Last sewer payment was 4/05/2023.
189 Park St.
Assessed value of property: $66,400.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $460.04.
Total sewer fees due: $2,216.93.
Last sewer payment was 11/04/2024.
Blue and yellow houses are on one lot. Owner lives in blue house, rents yellow. Yellow one wasn’t being billed for sewer, an account was created.
201 Park St.
Assessed value of property: $369,400.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $502.22.
Total sewer fees due: $2,000.65.
Last sewer payment was 11/04/2024.
Boat and motor shop.
41 Main St.
Assessed value of property: $200,300.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $6,739.50.
Total sewer fees due: $10,768.59.
Last sewer payment was 7/21/2023.
Interest has been expressed in purchasing the property.
12 Reynolds Ave.
Assessed value of property: $51,400.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $4,362.87.
Total sewer fees due: $6,803.72.
Last sewer payment was 7/21/2023.
Town listed as owner in 2018. Homestead tax exemption (owner lives on property). Owner is interested in selling.
34 Otis St.
Assessed value of property: $66,400.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $629.21.
Total sewer fees due: $6,554.50.
Last sewer payment was 11/15/2021.
Some certified letters came back unclaimed. Mortgage company contacted.
80 Depot St.
Assessed value of property: $90,300.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $651.22.
Total sewer fees due: $2,086.64.
Last sewer payment was 11/08/2021.
Mortgage company contacted.
5 Gordon St.
Assessed value of property: $99,400.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $2,423.47.
Total sewer fees due: $4,319.95.
Last sewer payment was 10/12/2018.
Mortgage company contacted.
22 Gilbert St.
Assessed value of property: $69,300.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $2,858.04.
Total sewer fees due: $4,665.85.
Last sewer payment was 4/29/2024.
Certified letters signed for. Homestead exemption.
12 Bellaire Drive
Assessed value of property: $111,200.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $810.53.
Total sewer fees due: $2,819.56.
Last sewer payment was 12/02/2024.
Certified letters signed for. Property is occupied. Homestead exemption.
18 Millett St.
Assessed value of property: $83,600.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $288.29.
Total sewer fees due: $1,490.48.
Last sewer payment was 6/29/2022.
Some certified letters signed for. Homestead exemption. Owner passed away earlier this year.
19 Prospect St.
Assessed value of property: $63,500.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $3,304.
Total sewer fees due: $5,402.67.
Last sewer payment was 6/17/2024.
A mix-up had this property listed as owned by Livermore Falls, tax bills were not sent in 2021 or 2022 but still received sewer bills. Certified letters signed for.
8 Bridge St.
Assessed value of property: $36,000.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $983.05.
Total sewer fees due: $2,371.53.
Last sewer payment was 11/04/2024.
Ice cream business. Received large sewer fee discount from July to Oct. 2023 since fee based on winter water use and business was closed then. Now being billed for entire year.
69 Church St.
Assessed value of property: $95,200.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $3,769.53.
Total sewer fees due: $6,735.92.
Last sewer payment was 2/04/2021.
Certified letters unclaimed. No Homestead exemption. Owner rents property.
28 Church St.
Assessed value of property: $44,700.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $2,942.81.
Total sewer fees due: $4,292.23.
Last sewer payment was 4/09/2020.
Former Methodist Church.
30 Church St.
Assessed value of property: $71,200.
This is the former Methodist Church parsonage, there is no separate sewer hookup. This property and the one above are owned by the same business.
95 Park St.
Assessed value of property: $10,400.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $443.85.
Total sewer fees due: $1,870.58.
Last sewer payment was 12/09/2021.
Burned lot, estimate of about $20,000 to clean it up. Would cost the town to try to sell it. Turning it into a community garden was suggested.
8 Searles St.
Assessed value of property: $35,600.
Amount due to stop foreclosure: $2,353.29.
Total sewer fees due: $4,427.92.
Last sewer payment was 8/30/2019.
Town was notified attempts are being made to obtain state funding to help the owner.
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