FREEPORT
In an ongoing dispute between outdoor retailer L.L. Bean and the Mann Cemetery Association, a board of appeals meeting today may shed some light on access to the 1700s graveyard.
L.L. Bean built its Outdoor Discovery Center on Marietta Lane two years ago. Along with an ideal site for its paddling school, L.L. Bean soon realized it had purchased part of a historic graveyard.
John Mann of the cemetery association explained that his family cemetery is a smaller one adjacent to a larger graveyard with nearly 170 graves — part of which resides on Bean’s property.
The traditional access road to the cemetery also ran through what would become part of the Discovery School.
The other part of the graveyard is on property owned by the Ulrickson family, who agreed to right of way access to the Manns across their property to reach the cemetery, which is part of the problem, according to Mann.
When L.L. Bean first realized its property contained an old tote road to the cemetery, it negotiated deeded access to the Mann Cemetery Association, according to L.L. Bean spokesman Mac McKeever.
Mann claims the agreement with the Ulricksons pertains to just the Mann family and not the families of anyone else buried in the cemetery. Meanwhile, Mann said town officials have been telling anyone who wants to access the cemetery to cross Ulrickson land.
Mann said the Ulricksons have not been pleased with strangers showing up and crossing their property to get to the cemetery.
“The town of Freeport says, not a problem — go in across the Ulricksons. Well, the Ulricksons are over there saying don’t come across our property. We have an agreement with the Manns and it’s with the Manns only and the town’s got no business giving you permission (to) cross our property because it’s private property,” Mann said.
“The Mann Cemetery Association raised some concerns about the wording in the approved plan from 2013 for the Outdoor Discovery Center at Lower Flying Point showing the traditional access road to the Mann Cemetery,” McKeever said. “We submitted an application to the Project Review Board for further clarification.”
Site walk conducted
McKeever said a site walk was conducted on July 13 with the Project Review Board in advance of the review board meeting. He said that following the walk and meeting, it was determined that additional clarification was needed.
McKeever said that the deeded access to the cemetery allows even greater passage either by foot or by vehicle to the cemetery for the Mann Cemetery Association as opposed to the unmaintained tote road originally used.
The original road has since been loamed and seeded according to the approved site plan, said McKeever.
A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13 to discuss whether L.L. Bean was required to keep the traditional tote road intact or simply mark its location in their submitted plans.
dmcintire@timesrecord.com
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