NORTH YARMOUTH, Maine — The Yarmouth Water District is facing a possible fine for tearing down a 200-year-old home in North Yarmouth without permission.
Preservationists say the home was one of the most important historic buildings in town.
Water district officials say it was torn down July 13 to protect the groundwater on the 17-acre property.
Town officials say the water district ignored local ordinances that require a demolition permit and notification of the North Yarmouth Historical Society 30 days before razing any structure built before 1900.
Water district officials have apologized, claiming ignorance of regulations and promising to make amends.
The Portland Press Herald reported that if selectmen seek the maximum penalty allowed under Maine law, the fine could be as high as $12,500 for each violation.
C’est la vie.
Ignorance is no excuse. If they are that dumb, how can they intelligently manage a town’s entire water system? Better look into the bumbling here.
They are not dumb…better to ask for forgiveness than permission. I tell ya $ 12,000 is a small price to pay when the alternative would have been permits, dealing with the historical society, ordinances…on and on….and look, they are sorry !
I’ve known other people who have said and done the same thing, minus the historical part.
One neighbor went through the hassle of permits and couldn’t do what they wanted to their property because of conforming laws, just to have a neighbor a few years later tear down their house and do what they wanted. Never had the permit, only had to pay the fine.
When the first neighbor complained, all they had was the option to ask that someone’s primary home be torn down. They were too nice for that…….. They said they would never bother going through the process to get a permit again after that.
After reading what was provided in this article I was thinking the exact same thing.
I wouldn’t doubt this move was calculated with this particular repercussion in mind.
……
Well at least the towns people can pay the fine with higher rates:)
Lol, you are probably right.
Free water for 200 years will do.
They knew what they were doing.
better to ask fogiveness than to ask permission.
Unless lawyers get involved…
Even then….
I never knew that a house was such a threat to groundwater.
if its delapitated, and or contamination from asbestos, lead, or fuel oils are present then yeah it could very well threaten the groundwater supply.
so can your car
I’m thinking asbestos is not a ground water concern.
First rule of law. Ignorance is no excuse. They should pay to have the salvage mapped out, documented, reclaimed and rebuilt by historic preservation experts. If the building was bad for ground water as it stood, it will probably be worse for the ground water as a pile of debris. Payment should allow for this realization as well. Probably covered by errors-and-omissions insurance anyhow. Definitely an error.
Oops!
I wonder if the Water District would accept someone saying “I didn’t know I couldn’t dispose of stale gasoline by flushing it down my toilet”
stupis is as stupid does.
Who would get the fine monies?
The town. Who else?
Can we see a pic of the house? For all we know, it was a totally dilapidated heap.
That was a big “oops”.
10 yrs Free Water for everyone!
200 year old house? How does society replace something like this? When this house was built they still called that part of Maine “Massachusetts.”
Get over it, it was their house anyway!!
It is my property to the low tide mark, and I have the deed to prove it, BUT I can not clam, hunt or build, / burn or fish on it without a license.
Prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
How many people have taken down numerous trees on their lakeside lot and either paid a fine, or replanted a few cedar shrubs and called it good? One you ask permission …..you can’t plead ignorance.
Everyone thinks this was a mistake. LOL. cheap enough… What do people think that house’s should last forever. All the people freaking out about this will pay the fee’s and fines with higher water bills. LOL.
If there was justice, the “fees and fines” would be the burden of the person who made “the mistake” (I do agree that it was no mistake.)
They knew what they were doing. It’s like the oceanfront property owner who does landscaping and doesn’t get permits. Pay your 12, 000 fine and have a 100,000 view. I’d do the same thing!