Nearly seven weeks after the first of a series of incidents involving ice falling from Ralph Doering’s apartment buildings in Damariscotta, ice and snow continues to build up and slide from the buildings’ roofs.
Elaine Eskensen, a Damariscotta resident, called the Damariscotta Police Dept. Jan. 13 to report snow falling from the roof of Harbor View Apartments, at 52 Main St., onto the sidewalk below.
According to the Damariscotta Police Dept. report, Officer Jennifer Mitkus arranged for a town employee to set up barricades in front of the building in order to protect pedestrians.
Mitkus also contacted Christine Daniels, the property manager for Harbor View Apartments, who, according to the report, agreed to send someone out to set up “caution tape” and “check the roof.”
Six days later, on Jan. 19, Eleanor O’Donnell, 81, of Nobleboro, met with Mitkus at the Damariscotta Police Dept. to report that “a large piece of ice” fell from the roof of the Day Block – another Doering-owned building – and hit her car.
The ice cracked the windshield and dented the hood and passenger’s side quarter panel of O’Donnell’s vehicle, which had been parked on Theater Street.
Again, Mitkus contacted Daniels. “I advised her of the incident and that if the ice had hit a person it would have seriously injured or killed them,” Mitkus wrote in a report.
According to Mitkus’ report, Daniels agreed with the statement and, once again, assured Mitkus she would “send someone over with cones and caution tape.”
Daniels, however, told Mitkus “they weren’t able to get on the roof to clear the ice,” according to the report.
Three weeks later, on Feb. 7, large chunks of ice fell from Harbor View Apartments, badly damaging two vehicles parked on Main Street (see “Falling ice damages two cars in Damariscotta,” in the Feb. 10 edition of The Lincoln County News).
This time, Sgt. Chad Andrews of the Damariscotta Police Dept. responded along with Central Maine Power, the Damariscotta Fire Dept. and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Andrews described the cars as “demolished” in his report, estimating the damage at over $10,000 each.
After consulting with Mitkus, Andrews left a message with Daniels, receiving a reply over three hours after the incident.
This time, Daniels told Andrews that the building’s management “put cones out front on the sidewalk…but did not know what else they could have done,” according to Andrews’ report.
In response to further questioning from Andrews, Daniels said management “normally” uses an Augusta company to remove ice from the building “but… it cost $2800… each time.”
Doering, the owner of both buildings, did not return messages left Feb. 18 on a cell phone and with answering services in Maine and Massachusetts.
Daniels did not return messages left at her home and on a cell phone the same day.
As of the afternoon of March 1, safety cones still barricade the sidewalk and on-street parking in front of the building.
O’Donnell, the owner of the car hit Jan. 19, said her insurance company paid for the $2500 in damage, including the replacement of the hood and windshield on her 2004 Honda CRV.
O’Donnell said she doesn’t know if her insurance company is seeking or will seek compensation from Doering or his insurance provider.
In a brief March 1 phone interview, O’Donnell expressed her relief that she wasn’t in the car at the time the ice fell and her relief that the ice didn’t hit a person. “They would have been dead,” she said.
Irena Golja-Prall, the owner of a 2005 Chevrolet, one of the two vehicles hit by the falling ice, also said her insurance policy is paying for the damage. Golja-Prall said she hopes Doering or his insurance will reimburse her for her deductible.
Helen Bates, the owner of the other vehicle, has been combing dealerships in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in an attempt to locate a replacement for her 1995 Acura Legend LS coupe.
“Maine doesn’t have any Acura dealers,” Bates explained.
The Feb. 7 incident totaled the vehicle. The chunks of ice “shattered” the vehicle’s engine, “caved in” the sunroof and crushed the windshield, she said.
The episode caused Bates “an awful lot of anxiety,” she said. “There was no need for it.”
Bates’ insurance company is pursuing payment of “100 percent” of the damage from Doering’s insurance company, she said.
Bates expressed grave concerns about what she called Doering’s lack of “attention” or “care” for or about his buildings. “Someone is going to be killed or seriously injured,” she said.
Bates said she has met with Damariscotta Town Manager Greg Zinser about the matter.
Zinser could not be reached for comment.
Dick McLean, the Chairman of the Damariscotta Board of Selectmen, said Zinser and Doering are “trying to find a way to resolve” the issues. McLean, passing on information from Zinser, described Doering as cooperative.
“Greg is on it,” McLean said. “The conversations are ongoing.”
“Mr. Doering wants to resolve the problem and we want him to resolve it,” McLean said.
