I think this is a time to uphold the violation.”

Peter Skwirz, town's attorney

I really want to emphasize that pressure really needs to get put on them.”

Dennis Begin, building inspector

The Barrington Building Board of Review has voted to uphold a notice of violation issued to the owner of the former Zion Bible College property.

During a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 26, members of the board voted unanimously to uphold the violation notice issued in April 2020 by the town’s Planning, Building and Resiliency Department.

The property’s owner, an LLC named Shineharmony, appealed the notice of violation, but now, after the board denied the appeal, the town can begin enforcement action, which includes a $500 per day fine.

At a meeting in December, the board placed a 30-day deadline for Shineharmony officials to properly secure the buildings located on the sprawling 39.5-acre parcel. All windows and doors were to be boarded up, and vegetation that had encroached on the former college campus buildings was to be cut back by Jan. 21. Once that work was complete, the town was prepared to issue permits to Shineharmony to demolish some of the dilapidated structures.

But during a tour of the property on Jan. 26, Barrington Building Inspector Dennis Begin found the work to be incomplete.

“Most of the openings were buttoned up. But there were still some things that were unboarded and that need to be boarded and there’s no reason why they should not have been,” Mr. Begin said. “I have no idea why they weren’t…No weather should be getting into that building.”

Peter Skwirz, an attorney with the town, agreed.

“From the time when this appeal was filed, quite a bit of time has passed,” Mr. Skwirz said. “Boarding up a window, that could be done.. granted this a very large site, but in a couple day's work, a week’s work. If you get the contractor out there, they can start boarding (up) right away.”

Bill Landry, an attorney for Shineharmony, spoke first during the Jan. 26 meeting. He told members of the board that the property had been “very well secured,” but acknowledged that broken windows and doors in several buildings had not yet been boarded up.

“It was far from perfect, but it was very good condition,” Mr. Landry said.

The property’s attorney also referenced a series of recent break-ins at the property. Mr. Landry said it appeared someone had “put out on the dark web” that the former bible college was a place people could get into. The result was a series of incidents where people from outside of Barrington broke into the buildings on the campus — police made four arrests during the break-in spree.

“Those incidents were not the norm at any point during this process, but they certainly created a lot of angst for people in the neighborhood and the police department for a couple of days when they occurred,” Mr. Landry said.

Mr. Skwirz said progress had been made boarding up windows at the vacant property, but “overall it appears they’re not doing as much as they could be doing or taking action as fast as they could be taking.”

Mr. Skwirz also said a contractor had completed about 90 percent of the work to clear vegetation away from the buildings. Mr. Begin added that he saw a tree crew working on the property during his tour on Jan. 26.

“Here we are on the last day with tree cutting,” he said, referencing that the owner had 30 days to complete the work.

Mr. Skwirz and Mr. Begin appeared frustrated with the fact that the work ordered by the town had not been completed within the 30 days given.

“I think we need to put a little pressure on them,” Mr. Skwirz said. “I think this is a time to uphold the violation. I don’t think any of us disagree that there are violations on the site…

“We’re spinning our wheels, trying to get them over the finish line and they’re just not getting there,” Mr. Skwirz said. “I think we may need a change of forum on the town’s part…”

Mr. Begin added: “In my mind, children’s safety and people’s safety is what I’m supposed to enforce. They’ve fallen short for the past six months of doing what they were supposed to do.

“I think Peter is absolutely correct… they may get the permits, and they may get going on it, but then again I don’t know. I really want to emphasize that pressure really needs to get put on them.”

David Topor, who lives near the property, spoke during the meeting also. He asked whether the town could require the property owner to carry higher liability insurance because of the dangers posed.

“I think this has been a ticking time bomb for years,” Mr. Topor said.

Mr. Begin added that many of the buildings on the campus have already experienced multiple "collapses."

“…more and more of these buildings are going to need to come down,” Mr. Begin said.

One board member said he was disappointed that Shineharmony had failed to meet the 30-day deadline. Another said the deadline had actually passed four days earlier.

Board chairman Thomas Billups made the motion to uphold the notice of violation and begin enforcement action. The motion passed unanimously.