Another question which occurs to me: OP, are you accustomed to owning large amounts of land?
More land you own the more you’ll find people are using bits of it for “stuff” and the more you need to realise that you don’t really control all of it, you just own all of it. The extended linctus family owns lots of “less than productive” land so I’ve seen how this sort of stuff is cared about.
Please - pretend you forgot about it tomorrow. Would it actually bother you if you didn’t know about it?
I reckon there’s a reasonable divide coming down in this thread between those who understand rural communities and those who don’t, and those of us in the former category are telling you it’s hugely in your interests to engage with the family and come to some amicable solution. Please listen to us as we are right.
I don’t understand why all the people who suggest leaving it there are making this sound like such a simple solution. She is going to be in for a world of problems if someone gets hurt on her land. The liability IS the biggest issue over anything else. It want matter if she’s initially seen as the angel of mercy over this if later she’s found negligent in some person’s death. Geez.
I think finding a way to have what this has turned into moved to some public place is the way to go. That way no ill will should be directed your way (and if there is any, it would probably be a small amount by irrational folks who would ultimately find fault with whatever you do), you still remain respectful and now those that wish to continue to mourn / or pay tribute will have a more accessible way to do so. No matter what though, I wish you good luck and commend your attempts to do this matter justice. I’d be honored to have anyone so conscientious as a neighbor.
Think of it not as a bug, but as a feature. Sure, it’s ugly, but it’s authentic, and it adds character and history to your property, not to mention a connection to the surrounding community. So clean up the junk, repaint it, and then maybe change the name of your property to “Two Cross Creek” or something. Just go with it.
After googling around, it seems like the woman was a florist and they died in April.
It looks like Magnolias grow in Maine and you can get both a white and a pink one. (You could even get a white one with a taller growth habit and a pink one that would be naturally shorter). They bloom in April (spring) and are evergreens.
They don’t grow in swamps, so you’d have to plant them closer to the road on higher ground and you could move the bench up between the two trees. Maybe move the crosses up behind the bench. That could move the whole thing up next to the road and closer to the edge of your property.
I have a few wild magnolia on my farm and they smell wonderful and really do bloom before anything else.
The only spring blooming tree that even comes close to looking like it might tolerate the wet shaded conditions is a service berry. It blooms white in spring, but is a very common tree and the only pink ‘mate’ I could find was the flowering crab apple also a very common tree. Both of these trees produce edible fruit for both wildlife and people life. Neither of them would ‘prefer’ swampy conditions and they need some light, so I’m not entirely sure that they’d work.
Another spring bloomer is the flowering dogwood. I personally like this one the best. It won’t tolerate the swamp and under canopy, it will be spindly looking. But, at the edge of a tree line, they can look very nice and you can get both white and pink flowered trees. Another nice thing about this tree is that it is linked to the wood that the cross was made from (a legend that isn’t true, but many people associate it with the dogwood tree). They also provide berries for wildlife. Two of these shaped into a heart would be a stunning spring time treat for those who are driving down the road.
Also, given her background and the date of the accident, I wouldn’t be surprised to find bulbs around the crosses that would come up in spring if they haven’t been rotted out by the flooding. You could also plant a border around the trees/bench with bulbs for spring time.
IF you really wanted a challenge, you could try four dogwoods shaped into two people like the one in this picture ( http://pooktre.com/images/pooktre/nightmen.jpg ) but that would be years of work and one good storm could kill it. Here is the entire portfolio from that artist: http://pooktre.com/photos/
Just don’t do the people-shaped trees thingy… that would be even creepier than the current shrine! Heart-shaped trees? Subtle and touching. Tree zombies? ZOMG RUN!!
We have been super busy this weekend (building a garage, yay!) so I havent had time to respond to all this. I know this storm is a convenient excuse to blame the weather on knocking it over, but I’m not ready to do that before we talk to some neighbors about the situation. My husband and i are currently planning on waiting utill spring to do anything, which will give us time to get to know the community better and see what people think. I really like the tree idea, particularly the magnolia thing.
Re: the insurance thing. Right now the house is not insured because we are not done with the renovation and can’t find anyone willing to cover it until construction is finished. (This is why i know this town doesnt do electrical or plumbing permits–we completely re-wired and plumbed this house and when I went to pull permits I was informed by the building inspector they don’t issue them I this town.) Our regular insurance co also said the would not insure until the outbuildings (we have a couple of little ramshackle sheds) were either brought up to code or removed. So I think they might have a real issue with the cross. Once we get this place finished and find an insurance company, I will be upfront with them about the memorial situation and see what they say.
I have a question about this. Why in the world would we need a permit to remove a small chunk of concrete with some wood attached to it from our land? If it was a cinder block would we need a permit? What if it fell over in the storm, for real? Still not allowed to remove it? This just sounds nuts to me. Not saying you’re wrong of course, I just think it’s really odd. I do appreciate the local perspective and advice.
My somewhat-informed guess: you probably don’t need the permit to remove what is essentially debris from your property; you need a permit to remove it from the creek.
Material in a channel will influence both the physical and ecological processes that go on there. For example, an obstruction might be come a defacto stormwater control structure, backing a little bit of water up and slowly releasing it instead of letting it all run down the channel at once. Removing something like that could cause erosion or flooding downstream.
If it’s been in there for a while, it might serve an ecological function - fish spawning habitat, cover for endangered frog species, etc. Based on what I’ve read here, I doubt there’s a problem actually removing it, but the DEP will want to be sure that they’ve taken a look at its effects on the system.
There may also be a timing issue. If the creek provides habitat for some species of fish, disturbances may be limited to particular times of the year. A permit from the DEP will likely address both the work you’re going to do and they way you’re going to do it.
I don’t think removing this cross is going to impact anything, and I’d guess your permitting process will be quick and easy. But the agency will only be cooperative if you contact them ahead of time. Work in streams is a definite exception to the “easier to ask forgiveness than permission” rule.
Oddly enough we don’t need a permit to remove the beavers and their dam, though, which is certainly going to have a much bigger impact on the creek. Actually, once the beavers are gone, the cross won’t be in a marshy area anymore, so it’s a moot point.
Likely the removal of the cross would be a Permit by Rule (PBR) with stipulations that you need to conform to the requirements set forth in the permit. Always best to check before you do it IMO.
Did local government tell you that you could remove the beavers and dam with no permit or did state government tell you that? Because if you have only talked to the locals, you probably do not have the whole story on this issue. In my experience, local governments do not know all the rules that apply at the state level (and vice versa).
For example, where I live you (general you) would have to fill out a checklist for the work you were going to do and it would have to be sent to both local and state government for review and comment. Even if local government determined that no permit were necessary, state government may not agree and may tell the applicant that they need to take steps x, y, and z to comply with some regulation. Maine may be more laid back about these things, but a creek and beaver dam is something that would most assuredly have state involvement here. In general, the most stringent law/regulation would apply so even if the locals are fine with an action, if the state has a more stringent requirement that is what you have to comply with.
This is general information; I am not posting as a representative of my employer or any government entity. Please don’t hurt me.
Y’know…it actually is legal to be buried on your own property in Maine (I know, but I just can’t resist)…I’ve always told my husband I want to be buried in our yard with a great big Celtic cross marking my grave.
Just food for thought…
I don’t really think anyone is buried there - but boy would it make an awesome King story.
