At the Planning Board meeting March 15, residents begged to have the stone wall in front of the Lighthouse Motel office removed.

A recent survey revealed it was built entirely on town property.  Many residents would like a sidewalk in its place so people would no longer have to enter the travel lane to walk and bike.  It’s very dangerous and always has been.

Town Manager Tom Hall told the Planning Board the stone wall would come down if it was found to be a safety issue.  When will he determine that?  After someone gets hurt?

This is private use of public property and is certainly not taxed.  The town manager presented an aerial photo taken 35 years ago showing a white line bordering the vacant land that the wall and motel office was later built on.

Hall called the photo “evidence” that the wall existed in some form. I purchased 4 King St. directly across the street in 1992.  There was no wall.  Just some bushes, my mailbox and a couple trees.

Today, it is a large backfilled structure with underground lighting.  People remember a telephone booth there.  Had there been a stone wall, people would have had to jump over it to make a call.

Scarborough residents lost their fight to save historic Depot Street.  The Town Council gave away more than 6,000 square feet of additional space in the land swap  with the motel.

 Now Hall wants to allow them to use another 2,000 square feet as if it was their property.  This is a terrible precedent.  I urge the Council to order its removal as part of the overall plan for this area, in the name of safety and fairness.

Arlene Hurd

Old Orchard Beach