Oakham Board Authorizes Legal Action on Dangerous Barn, Permit Scofflaw

OAKHAM — January 6, 2025 — Oakham Select Board authorizes legal action on two problem properties and adopts a lean Special Town Meeting warrant. At the January 6 meeting, the board voted unanimously to allow Building Inspector Robert Lanciani to consult with town counsel on a deteriorating barn at 23 Colebrook Road — a probate property whose heirs have told their attorney they will not spend money on repairs — with instructions to place a municipal lien on the property to recover any town expenses. The board also authorized Lanciani to pursue counsel on 680 Spencer Road, where a property owner built two unpermitted structures and ignored Zoning Board of Appeals conditions for nearly a year; Lanciani said the matter will likely require court action. The board adopted a two-article Special Town Meeting warrant for January 27 at the Oakham Fire Station, covering a $15,000 assessors' stabilization account transfer and roughly $21,000 in free-cash appropriations to restore cuts to police, fire, the town clerk, the Board of Selectmen, and town counsel accounts. The board's chair warned that Oakham has only about $2,000 of usable free cash cushion entering fiscal year 2026, after using $178,000 of its $180,000 in certified free cash to balance the current budget.