BUCKSPORT, Maine — Last month, the town of Bucksport gave the Fountain Inn 60 days to fix dangerous and unlivable conditions at its property.
The long list of changes to be made at the motel in order for town officials to deem it safe includes getting the required permitting and licenses to operate, resolving unpaid taxes, fixing the heating system, and fixing unreliable running water and electricity issues.
Bucksport's code enforcement officer, Luke Chiavelli, said he received calls earlier this week from tenants who had not had hot water for days, and who had spent cold nights this past weekend.
"You know they've been desperately trying to get the power turned back on so they can have heat," Chiavelli said.
HOME Cooperative in Orland has case managers working to help tenants find a new and safer place to live. HOME's program coordinator Julie Ream said she knocked on every door at the motel offering assistance and options.
"Many told us that they could self-solve the issue and that they had plans or had assistance already in that area, but some don't know where they are going to go," Ream said.
HOME reports that so far eight of the residents have moved out with their help they believe 20 to 30 people still live there. Some other people have left on their own.
"We just went to offer what we could. Do they need shelter, are they willing to come into shelter, do they just need some help getting that first month's rent or do they need to be connected to a case manager of some sort, and we are just there to try and help them," Ream said.
Ream said finding a new place to move to is not an easy task.
"Some of them have been looking for a place to live before this and the lack of affordable housing has just been their biggest roadblock," she said.
One person who still lives at the motel said they've "never been so nervous of living somewhere."
"I come from a pretty tough place, but this place is a different world all by itself," says a person who still lives at the motel," they said.
Thursday morning, three of the Fountain Inn's workers were on-site—the manager, the secretary, and the new maintenance person. Those workers said they are trying to fix the list of issues. So far, they said, the hot water, electricity, and plumbing problems have all been addressed.
"They have electricity, they have heat, they have hot water," Felicia Boudreau, the motel's manager, said.
"We thought we had a problem with our zone valves. We had a plumber come in and check it out, and we found out there was air in the pipes and that was what was causing the issue, and it has been fixed," Kaitlyn Kennedy, the motel's secretary, said.
Louis Irizarry, the motel's maintenance person, said, "We are doing the best we can in the time we have to have them up in top shape."
The motel workers said they are well aware that some of the issues are not an easy fix, but they said they are trying to get these rooms back to livable conditions.
The town of Bucksport will hold a hearing on April 8 to allow councilors, town residents, and the Fountain Inn's tenants and managers to present their solutions. From there, town officials will decide the future of the motel.