Code Dispute Impacts Caribou Businesses

CARIBOU, Maine (WAGM) - A sprinkler issue at a Caribou shopping center is at the center of a dispute between the property owner and city code enforcement. According to Caribou Code Enforcement, the issue began with an in-person verbal complaint. On Bennett Drive in Caribou, business owners were informed by city code enforcement on April 22nd that the building’s sprinkler system was in violation of city building codes.

According to public documents, that was the same day code enforcement sent its first violation notice to property owner Dana Cassidy. Cassidy says the situation has negatively affected businesses inside the center. “Eastern Fire Protection came up. They evaluated the sprinkler system in both buildings at my shopping center in Caribou. There was a small leak. One sprinkler had froze up. So, they put that out of order.”

Cassidy says he was aware of the issue and planned to have it fixed by professionals. Stating it was a minor repair and that he did not believe it should have led to concerns about the entire shopping center. “Those small things like that, Eastern Fire, they schedule a time that they’re gonna have more work in the area and they’ll fix it. It’s a 10 minute job and you certainly wouldn’t shut a whole shopping center down for especially a place that’s empty that has a brick wall, or block wall on both sides. I was gonna go over and fix it myself. The part’s like $3.43 but you’ve got to have a license to do it, and I figured I can get in enough trouble without doing that.”

Cassidy says the dispute has had a major impact on the shopping center and its tenants. He says the center has already lost two retail locations as a result of the situation. “He did a lot of damage over there. I mean, when you start taking down businesses that have been in the community for 20 and 30 years and there’s like 4 of them and they’ve got hundreds and hundreds, thousands of people going through there a week.

The report if it had been read or interpreted properly the system passed. You pass and it’s business as usual. You don’t go in and alert the tenants that we’re gonna close this. Why are you closing it? Because one sprinkler head out of 1000 in the building doesn’t work and that space is empty. Whatever the case, he certainly was wrong and I think he’s gonna end up answering for it but I’d like to personally apologize to all my tenants, all the people that have been displaced, or misplaced, or didn’t dare go in the building because there was nothing wrong.”

WAGM reached out to Caribou Code Enforcement for an interview about the incident, but they declined. We also reached out to several businesses within the center, but either did not hear back or were declined comment. Cassidy says the repair has since been completed within the shopping center. He says he believes the report was misinterpreted and maintains the sprinkler system passed inspection, aside from the repair that was ordered. Now, businesses withing the shopping center can move forward without further disruption.

Code Dispute Impacts Caribou Businesses

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