Auburn Board of Health Declares Occupied RV Unfit for Human Habitation

AUBURN — August 6, 2025 — Auburn Board of Health unanimously declared an occupied RV at a commercial property unfit for human habitation. The board voted 3-0 at its August 6 meeting to condemn the camper at 5 Jerome Ave., where Thomas Hill, an elderly man, has lived for roughly 12 years without running water, a permanent sewer connection, or reliable electricity. Health Director Darlene Coyle and Assistant Health Director Jordan Brusso presented a July 24 inspection order detailing the conditions, which also included a power cutoff by property owner Ben Lee earlier in the week. Lee's attorney, Jared Scarpaci, appeared by phone and disputed whether the housing code's relocation obligation applies to a commercially zoned property, telling the board, "that's a problem in itself" — a legal question Chair Eric M. Otterson declined to resolve at the hearing. Elder Services has been in contact with Hill, who has so far declined emergency shelter.