Wilton officials are seeking a contractor to clean up the yard of a Wilton homeowner who has failed to obey a court order to clean up piles of appliances, scrap and motor vehicles from his yard.

When the job is done, the town will send him a bill.

Adams Street homeowner Duane Pollis lost a civil case brought by the town of Wilton in Franklin County Superior Court, which he defaulted on when he didn’t reply to the town’s letters or the court process.

Pollis was convicted of violating state and local laws with the items strewn across his lawn. He was the first person to be fined for violating a property maintenance ordinance narrowly passed in June, which allows a minimum fine of $100 per day for violations. Fines against Pollis total at $9,500.

As part of the court ruling, the town got a permanent injunction requiring Pollis to clean up the property and keep it clean. However, he did not clean up the property by the end of May, so the judgment gives the town permission to enter Pollis’ property, remove the material and bill him for the cost.

“We’ve given Pollis ample time, actually beyond what the court said,” Selectwoman Tiffany Maiuri said at a board meeting on Tuesday. “I think at this point here, we need to put some teeth behind anything we do.”

Pollis does not have a phone and could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

He has previously said there is a purpose for everything in his yard, so he shouldn’t be obligated to clean it up. He said he feels bullied by the town because he makes a little less than $14,000 annually and can’t pay the fine, hire a lawyer, drive to court without a car or call Pine Tree Legal Assistance for free help.

“You better believe they’re only going to go after poor people who can’t fight back,” Pollis said in early February. “Good luck getting your money from me.”

Wilton Police Chief Heidi Wilcox said that the police department would send an officer to be there during the clean up for safety.

Selectmen tossed around options about what to do with the items on the property after the clean up, like whether to try to donate some of the larger items to a nonprofit organization or put the property in storage.

“I would suggest going to some kind of organization or a dumpster from Waste Management,” said Selectman Paul Berkey. “That whole situation is just a bad situation.”

Selectman Tom Saviello said the town should ask the outside contractor what they want to do with the material, who would decide whether to throw out all the items or resell any of the material.

Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252 |

kschroeder@centralmaine.com

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