WESTBROOK – An abandoned property in Westbrook, seen as an eyesore and safety hazard by neighbors, is confounding city officials as the property shifts hands.

Westbrook Code Enforcement officer Rick Gouzie said this week that he’s been trying to deal with the issue, unsuccessfully, ever since he began to hear complaints about the property roughly six months ago.

On Friday, the lawn of the home, on the corner of Nasson and Ethel avenues in Westbrook, was still littered with a seemingly endless array of items, from car tires to chairs, tarps, appliances and a stroller.

Ward 4 City Councilor Gary Rairdon, whose ward encapsulates the neighborhood, said last week that until recently, vehicles had been parked at the property, as well. However, he said, the property began to look worse a few months ago.

“It almost looks as though they went into the house, took every single thing out, and just put it on the lawn,” he said.

The neighborhood, part of a large patch of residential homes nestled behind the busy intersection of Cumberland and Bridge streets, is home to many families. On Friday, a person interested in a condominium just down the street hopped out of their car to take a photo.

Rairdon, who lives on nearby Webster Street, said he’s concerned that the property poses a safety issue. Rairdon said there’s oil in an old shed out back, and other potentially dangerous items.

“There are a lot of kids around. Kids are curious, and if they go in there, I’m afraid they’ll get hurt,” he said.

Gouzie said Friday that the property is changing hands due to foreclosure, with the Wells Fargo bank soon to take over the home. Gouzie said he’s made multiple attempts to contact the owners, with no results, but has managed to contact officials at Wells Fargo.

The names on the deed are Daniel and Anita Ray. However, Daniel Ray died in 2011.

According to Gouzie, the foreclosure hasn’t gone through yet, but the bank issued a letter to the owners, stating they had 30 days to clean up the property. The letter was dated Nov. 8. Gouzie said he doesn’t believe the owners live in Westbrook anymore.

“At that point, I don’t know what we’ll do,” he said, referring to if the property still isn’t picked up in a few weeks.

Rairdon acknowledged the difficulty and “gray area” surrounding private properties in the city, especially given the foreclosure status of the home. Now, he’s just hoping it’s cleaned up before the first major snow.

“Once it snows, it’ll be buried,” he said. “It’s really unfortunate that someone would leave a house in that disarray.”

Westbrook resident Dale Perry, who grew up in the neighborhood, said that while he currently lives on Duck Pond Road in Ward 5, he has a personal connection with the neighborhood. Perry said his mother and father-in-law used to own the home on Falmouth Street that abuts the back of the foreclosed property.

“We began noticing that property deteriorating,” he said Monday. “It started looking worse and worse.”

Perry said his main concern is the possible negative effect on nearby property values. A relatively new condominium project lies further down Ethel Avenue.

“Certainly, those people are trying to sell those condominums,” he said. “That was the reason I started calling.”

A home across the street, at 48 Nasson Ave., is for sale.

“It’s just dragging the whole area down,” he said.

City Councilor Mike Sanphy said last week that he began receiving calls from concerned neighbors about four months ago. He said the property used to have a boat and part of a snowmobile parked in the yard.

City Administrator Jerre Bryant said Friday that the challenge with taking any action on the property is its current status. He said the city is trying to give the owner the opportunity to clean up their own property, without having to involve the city in going onto private property to do so.

“Unfortunately, that would be our next step,” he said.

A Westbrook home on the corner of Nasson and Ethel avenues is littered with car tires and other debris Friday. The property has been labeled an eyesore and has raised safety concerns ever since a foreclosure process began.  Debris litters the back of a home located on the corner of Nasson and Ethel avenues in Westbrook.