by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

A heated issue many months in the making came to a partial conclusion at a special town meeting held Monday, May 13, when Machiasport residents authorized the town to purchase 37 acres of shorefront land in Bucks Harbor.

The town originally voted to purchase the property in 2017, and constructed a deal with Land for Maine Futures (LMF) who proposed paying half of the estimated $275,000 cost from its public access fund in order to expand and ensure public access to Bucks Harbor in perpetuity.