A property border dispute is growing in the town of Oxford.Dave and Katy Clark say they were flabbergasted when they pulled into their summer camp on Hogan Pond in mid-June to find that 80 to 100 trees had been cut and framing was going up for a bunkhouse on, what they say, is their land. “I was heartbroken,” said Katy Clark. The Clarks bought the cottage on Hogan Pond in 2018. They say their neighbor, Michael Wise, has been building and expanding his property for years. Now, the Clarks say Wise overstepped when he applied for, and was granted, a building permit for a bunkhouse along the property line.”We have a very good idea where our property line is, and that structure is at least partially on our line, 100%. And I believe that all of it is on our line,” Dave Clark said. The town of Oxford’s code enforcement officer, Kingston Brown, said Wise’s plan for a bunkhouse did not require planning board approval because it was not within 100 feet of the water. “This bunkhouse is proposed to be outside of that 100 feet, so it was within my authority as code enforcement/building inspector to issue a building permit for that location,” Brown said. The Clarks have spent more than $5,000 and hired surveyors to clarify the property lines in this boundary dispute. The surveyors were out measuring and photographing the property Friday. They will use that information and compare it with previous deeds that date back to 1914. They will place boundary pins once the determination is made. At the Wise property, Maine’s Total Coverage asked if Michael Wise was available for comment. A woman at the property went inside without answering. “He never approached me. Never talked to us once about doing this. If he would have come over and talked to us, we would have been like – no that’s our land – and it wouldn’t have even got to this point,” Dave Clark said. “We have to fight this, so it doesn’t happen to other people so easily,” Katy Clark said. Brown said Friday a “stop-work order” has been placed on the project, halting any future construction. The Clarks said Friday they plan to hire a lawyer to fight this battle with their neighbor.
A property border dispute is growing in the town of Oxford.
Dave and Katy Clark say they were flabbergasted when they pulled into their summer camp on Hogan Pond in mid-June to find that 80 to 100 trees had been cut and framing was going up for a bunkhouse on, what they say, is their land.
“I was heartbroken,” said Katy Clark.
The Clarks bought the cottage on Hogan Pond in 2018. They say their neighbor, Michael Wise, has been building and expanding his property for years. Now, the Clarks say Wise overstepped when he applied for, and was granted, a building permit for a bunkhouse along the property line.
“We have a very good idea where our property line is, and that structure is at least partially on our line, 100%. And I believe that all of it is on our line,” Dave Clark said.
The town of Oxford’s code enforcement officer, Kingston Brown, said Wise’s plan for a bunkhouse did not require planning board approval because it was not within 100 feet of the water.
“This bunkhouse is proposed to be outside of that 100 feet, so it was within my authority as code enforcement/building inspector to issue a building permit for that location,” Brown said.
The Clarks have spent more than $5,000 and hired surveyors to clarify the property lines in this boundary dispute. The surveyors were out measuring and photographing the property Friday. They will use that information and compare it with previous deeds that date back to 1914. They will place boundary pins once the determination is made.
At the Wise property, Maine’s Total Coverage asked if Michael Wise was available for comment. A woman at the property went inside without answering.
“He never approached me. Never talked to us once about doing this. If he would have come over and talked to us, we would have been like – no that’s our land – and it wouldn’t have even got to this point,” Dave Clark said.
“We have to fight this, so it doesn’t happen to other people so easily,” Katy Clark said.
Brown said Friday a “stop-work order” has been placed on the project, halting any future construction.
The Clarks said Friday they plan to hire a lawyer to fight this battle with their neighbor.
