“I can’t say enough about this program,” Brown said. “It really takes a burden off of what we do.”

Catching up to this article from the Boston Globe

"As a building official in Franklin, Gus Brown could never figure out how to clean up a handful of abandoned, run-down homes that plagued several of the town’s neighborhoods for years. 

Everything changed, though, when he decided in May to place his town in the state attorney general’s Abandoned Housing Initiative. Jason Piques, a lawyer in the AG’s office, sent warning letters to the property owners, and within a month things started to happen. 

“To date, there are ongoing cleanups and repairs on these houses and no complaints from the neighbors [anymore],” said Brown, Franklin’s building commissioner. “That letter from him seems to have wonderful results without even getting into any of the legal proceedings.”

Assistant Attorney General Jason Piques (shown at a derelict property) helped the Town of Franklin clean up several run-down homes. (Boston Globe photo)

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https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/12/20/attorney-general-program-helps-cities-and-towns-clean-abandoned-properties/2UI6WGXhRMX3P2uOMOzfWP/story.html