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At first glance, the waterfront building at 39 Main St. seems like an integral part of Camden’s iconic coastal downtown, which can be flooded with visitors during summer.
The two-story storefront sits right at the mouth of the Megunticook River, sandwiched between a pair of longtime local businesses. Its gray clapboard facade is accented by green and purple trim. Just behind it is the Montgomery Dam and, beyond it, the town’s harbor.
In reality, the structure has been vacant for years, and over the last few months, local officials have considered designating it a dangerous building because it’s listing into one of its neighbors, the Smiling Cow gift shop, according to information presented at recent Select Board meetings. That’s threatening the shared utility lines beneath them.
The current owner is now working to sell the building, which used to be a home goods shop, while also making necessary repairs ahead of a May 13 deadline. It’s also bordered by Camden Deli to the south.
The ordeal has highlighted the challenges that midcoast municipalities and property owners face when dealing with old waterfront structures that are often central parts of their communities, but are especially exposed to storms, tides and other elements that can damage them over time.
In another case, the owners of a popular Belfast bar, Three Tides, are going through a major renovation because the posts and beams at the ground level of its harborside location have rotted over time, and the building has suffered flood damage. They aim to raise its floor by about 30 inches to meet new federal flood standards.
In Camden, the pilings beneath 39 Main St. are failing, according to an engineer hired by the town, and repairs are estimated to cost at least $200,000. Despite that, the century-old, 1,900-square-foot building was recently listed for sale with an asking price of $895,000, partly reflecting its prime location in the tourist town.
Besides working to make repairs, the owner, Janis Kay, is also in the process of selling it to Amy and David LaCouture, who are involved with restoring the building. Kevin Hall, a paralegal who is part of the team representing Kay, told attendees of a Select Board meeting last week that she is “a woman of advanced years and has a significant amount of real estate that’s all in, not what you would say, stellar condition.”
Local officials had originally found the building in violation of local codes in October and given the owner until April 1 to make necessary improvements, but extended that deadline to May 13 during last week’s meeting.
During that meeting, officials debated whether the structure is too dangerous to have work done to it that had been proposed.
Some officials have expressed concern that work is not progressing quickly enough on the building, given the harm that could result if it falls over and damages the sewer, power and propane lines that serve other buildings in that area.
“I’m just very disturbed by the lack of urgency here,” said Select Board member Tom Hedstrom.
“I promise you, I’m not taking it lightly. This needs to be fixed,” Amy LaCouture, one of the buyers, told the Select Board. “It’s a historical structure.”