News

Gray Developer ordered to stop building
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray--Planning Board member and local developer Rodney Boyington is in the throes of building his 26-lot subdivision on Yarmouth Road in Gray, one of several developments in nearby towns that he is building. The Gray Code Enforcement Officer, acting on a tip from Town Engineer Tom Saucier, went to Mr. Boyington's site last week and told the men there to stop working. A verbal stop-work order delivered to one of the guys and stop they did.

"A condition of approval when you go through the Planning Board process is to establish an escrow account to pay for the inspections by the engineer. The applicant failed to do that. I went out there to stop the work," Paul White, Gray's Code Enforcement Officer said.

Mr. Boyington said that "There was an escrow account and there was money in it. I had asked the engineer to tell me an exact amount but although information was exchanged over several correspondences, seven or eight weeks went by and I never got an answer."

Mr. Boyington said that in other towns where he has successfully completed development projects, such as Gorham, and the escrow account has never been an issue. "In Gray, I guess there is a fine line between an 'escrow review account' and an 'escrow inspection account.' I would have thought that they would slide the money from one to the other but in Gray they do things differently. The other communities don't differentiate."

Mr. Boyington said that the "process in Gray has been convoluted but in Gorham it's been easy as pie. There have been no issues with the CEO or Public Works there." He said that in Gray it's usually Mitch [Berkowitz, Town Manager] who is involved to a high degree, "But this time it's just the downstairs." There are three Departments downstairs in Town Office, Assessing, Planning, and Code Enforcement.

Mr. White said that usually he makes out a written stop-work order but this time it was verbally delivered. "It was within a day or so after that that we met and worked out a plan for proceeding. [Public Works Director] Steve LaVallee, and the Town Engineer and the applicant and myself met in Stimson Hall." Left, Mr. White. The Monument: file photo

The project is going ahead now, but Mr. Boyington looks ahead to frost season and said that digging in freezing weather is very hard on the machines.

Mr. Boyington said, "I am not trying to hide anything. But the way Gray does things is not very cost efficient." Proud of his work, Mr. Boyington said, "I encourage all developers to put in such a fine subdivision. I mean, how many will put in public water and sidewalks?"