BRUNSWICK, Maine — An off-campus house in which several Bowdoin College students live has come under scrutiny by Brunswick’s fire department for safety violations.
The house at 83 ½ Harpswell Road is known to students by the nickname “Crack House.” It was the site of a party known as “Cracksgiving” in November 2014 after which the college announced plans to discipline 14 members of the lacrosse team for dressing up as American Indians, in violation of the college’s social code.
The house has been rented by members of lacrosse team, according to a January article in the Bowdoin Orient student newspaper, which reported that “Several members of the lacrosse team have recently decided not to return for the spring season, but there is no evidence linking their departure to this incident.”
There were a total of eight fire code violations, according to Brunswick Fire Deputy Chief Jeff Emerson, chief among them being illegal use of space.
The building is listed as a one- to two-family dwelling, which is defined as having members of a single family with no more than three outsiders residing there. However, the building has been used more like a rooming and lodging house.
“In plain language, if you have more than four people all sharing the same kitchen but with individual bedrooms, you have a rooming and lodging house,” said Emerson.
Possibly up to six occupants were residing at the house, said Emerson, and two people may have to be removed in order to fit the definition of a family dwelling.
If the listing is changed to become a lodging house, several major changes would have to take place, including the addition of sprinkler and fire alarm systems.
In another violation, there were no working smoke detectors found in the house. The two smoke detectors inside the house that hadn’t been discounted were inoperable.
Emerson found the basement was being used illegally as an assembly space with inefficient egress and access.
There were also electrical deficiencies throughout the building, inadequate fire separation from the garage, and an incorrectly installed oil burning appliance.
According to Emerson, the department was made aware of the problems through a complaint from the town office.
Efforts to reach the building’s landlord, Leon Poulin, on Friday and Monday were unsuccessful.
Poulin has been informed of the deficiencies and has until April 3 to submit an acceptable plan of correction. Poulin is required to correct all deficiencies by May 1.
“At this point, he seems willing to cooperate with us,” said Emerson.
Emerson said the student residents have also been cooperative, having reinstalled smoke detectors and removing obstructions from doors, as well as padlocks on bedroom and bathroom doors. Those fixes mean the students can stay until there’s a “long-term fix,” said Emerson.
There were prior violations at the house discovered during a 2008 inspection. At the time, Poulin agreed to reduce the number of occupants to four instead of applying for a change of use.