PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 5, 2023
Members of the Hill family said that for as long as they can remember, they have used a footpath from their grandparents’ cottage. That was until April 2021, when they got a letter from their neighbors Richard and Sheila Tappen. “Kindly cease and desist from all further use of this property.” The Hills thought it was a common area. The Tappen family has owned a beachfront cottage in the neighborhood for nearly as long as the Hills. In 2021 they purchased the rights to another 3.5 acres. On that sliver of land, the Hills have over the years built a boardwalk, a deck, a ramp, and a shed. The Tappens want it all gone. Their attorney says they want to protect the dunes from further erosion.