South Gorham Cemetery

GORHAM —The Town Council Tuesday cleared up a claim that some bodies in the South Gorham Cemetery mistakenly had been buried on land owned by a neighbor.

In a land swap, the board unanimously agreed 7-0 to exchange quit claim deeds with Hans C. Hansen.

Hansen at the September Town Council meeting claimed he owned a three-quarter acre in the cemetery on Burnham Road. He said his land off County Road abutted the west and south sides of the cemetery.

Town Manager David Cole this week said burials in the cemetery dated back to 1840, and it appeared that some bodies were buried on Hansen’s land.

Cole told the councilors before the vote that the exchange of deeds would clarify ownership.

In other action, the Town Council voted 5-2 (Marla Stelk and Ronald Shepard opposed) and  to send the town’s sprinkler ordinance to its Ordinance Committee for review to determine what constitutes a structure.

Town Councilor Benjamin Hartwell said he sponsored the item following an issue at PineCrest Inn in which fire inspectors determined a porch needed to have a sprinkler.

But Fire Chief Robert Lefebvre said the state’s fire marshal’s office and the fire safety code also requires the sprinkler. Lefebvre pointed to a lack of code enforcement that led to deaths of 36 people in California.

Hartwell denounced the comment as scare tactics. “I would invite anyone to take a look at it,” Hartwell said, referring to the PineCrest porch.

Following a long dispute, PineCrest Inn owner Matt Mattingly last month asked the Town Council to transfer fire inspection authority at his inn from the town to the state. The board opposed the request.

In a Jan. 3 letter to the Town Council, Mattingly sought reconsideration, but no Town Councilor introduced a measure Tuesday to reconsider the board’s decision.

“If you desire to close the PineCrest Inn, then have the courage to say publicly that you feel the business no longer fits into the character of Gorham,” Mattingly wrote. “Do not use manipulated code to force the inn out of business, a business that has been welcoming guests to Gorham for 100 years.”