The clean up of the Sandwich Road home destroyed in a fire in January, 2011, which left a pile of debris and neighbors wondering when the hazard would be cleared, has hit another road block.

The Board of Selectmen discussed the matter during its meeting on June 26.

The current concern is a pile of Asbestos tiles that are covered by a plastic sheet of tarp on the property.

"It's not a public safety issue," said Interim Town Administrator John Foster clarified after the meeting, "It's covered with a plastic sheet of tarp."

The owner of the Sandwich Road home was injured in last year's fire. His family members had been cleaning the property, but told town officials on several occasions that they didn't have the monetary means to finish the job.

During a hearing on the property in December, the Board of Selectmen gave the family until January to remove any sentimental items from the debris.

A committee was formed on May 30 to determine the state of the property and whether the town could legally clean it up, said Director of Inspectional Services Myles Burke during a Board of Selectmen meeting on June 12.

The committee determined that the town could clean it up and work started in early June, but was temporarily halted due to concerns surrounding the pile of asbestos tiles on the property.

Because the previous contractor was not hired to remove hazardous material, Interim Town Administrator John Foster said, the town now has to develop a plan to remove the asbestos tiles.

The plan must also be approved by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Foster said.

Chair of the Board of Selectmen Steve Holmes directed Derek Sullivan, financial analyst for the town, to find out if funding that is currently set aside for cleaning up the property could be held over to fiscal year 2013, which runs from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013.

Usually, money set aside for a specific use in a previous fiscal year would not immediately be accessible once the next fiscal year kicks in, said Derek Sullivan, financial analyst for the town.

In order to access the money in fiscal year 2013, the town would have to set it aside for that particular use once again at Fall Town Meeting in October.

Alternatively, the town could use fiscal year 2013 funds to clean up the Sandwich Road property, which is not an ideal option considering the need to prepare for unforeseen problems, said Sullivan.

"You can never tell what happens" in the future, said Sullivan after the meeting. "Some building may burn down and maybe we would have to take care of it," he said.

Sullivan told Holmes that he would look into whether the funds that are currently set aside for clean-up of the Sandwich Road property could remain reserved for that purpose in fiscal year 2013.