Staff Writer

If a fish house falls off its pilings, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

The structure at 20 Langsford Road in Cape Porpoise collapsed nearly two weeks ago and Kennebunkport Code Enforcement Officer Brian Shaw said Riverside Marine Construction worked last week to stabilize what is left of the building. He said they were given permission to do emergency work so the building doesn’t collapse further. 

“Less than a week [before it collapsed] I was talking to the contractor working on the house next door and we both remarked how the building was in need of a great deal of work,” Shaw said. 

Shaw said after the building is stabilized, the current owner of record, Dexter Hutchins of Princeton, N.J., will have to go through the planning process if he wants to rebuild. The process includes receiving approval from the Department of Environmental Protection and Army Corp of Engineers with the building being so close to the water, he said. According to  assessment records, the building is described as vacant and worth $1,000. The 0.4 acres of land it sits on is valued at $15,900.

A few years ago, a building closer to the head of the harbor on Langsford Road also collapsed, Shaw said. He said the owner received permission to rebuild but has not begun construction. 

“Most older fish houses are still used commercially and those are well maintained. Very few are not being used for some purpose,” Shaw said. “Those couple that have collapsed, it’s almost like they’d been abandoned.” 

Shaw said he keeps an eye on buildings around town for ones that may be considered dangerous.

He recently recommended a few that need care to the board of selectmen, including a house at 15 Langsford Road the owner is in the process of taking down. Shaw said he did not have any other buildings of concern at this time. 

Staff writer Emma Bouthillette can be reached at 282-4337 ext. 237.