We urge the town to stop using eminent domain to take part of a farm in the Down East region of Maine for public access to a small sandy beach and trails. This land is private farmland, and it should not be taken when other options are still available.

The farm owner has already tried to work with the town many times and has offered several alternatives. That kind of effort matters. It shows a willingness to solve the problem in a fair way without forcing one landowner to bear the whole cost. Taking land that is used for farming and livestock every day would cause real harm to the farm and to the way of life it supports.

Public access to beaches and trails is important, but it should not come by pushing a private farm aside when there are other paths forward. Once farmland is taken, it cannot simply be replaced. Farm land is scarce, and it supports food production, local jobs, and the character of the Down East region of Maine.

We ask the town to end this effort and return to good-faith negotiation. Protect the farm, respect the owner’s repeated attempts to cooperate, and choose a solution that gives the public access without taking land from a working farm. The undersigned support a fair outcome that does not sacrifice one private farm for a public shortcut.