Standoff over junk in Maine man’s yard coming to an end after nearly 20 years

By Jim Keithley

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    GREENE, Maine (WMTW) — Time is up for a Maine man who has been at odds with officials in the town he lives in for nearly 20 years.

In 2006, George Stanley tried to get permission to run a flea market at his sprawling property off Route 202. The town denied Stanley’s request due to an ordinance prohibiting flea markets, but he decided to do it anyway.

Stanley’s front yard is consumed by a myriad of items and there’s even a grocery cart on the roof. There are a number of handmade signs and one reads: “All visitors must report to reception.”

“Yes, it’s an eyesore. But if you pay your taxes on time and maybe put up some privacy fence, you should be able to do what you need to,” said Mike Farr, who lives in the neighboring town of Leeds.

But in December 2024, Stanley lost a court case and was ordered by a judge to remove the debris from his property within 45 days. The judge said Stanley violated the state’s junkyard law and the town’s flea market ordinance.

Since it was wintertime, the town of Greene’s code enforcement officer gave Stanley until spring to comply. But spring has sprung and Stanley has not made any efforts to clean up the property so far, town officials said.

Just this week, the town started accepting bids from contractors to come in and haul it all away likely by the end of June.

It seems everyone has an opinion about Stanley’s property.

“I think if people going by don’t like it, they can chip in and give him money to put up a fence. It’s his property. He should be able to have whatever he wants on it,” said Livermore Falls resident Debbie Coffin.

Stanley’s property has become somewhat of a local landmark. It is the first thing you see when you cross into town along Route 202.

Farr, who is in the contracting business, said the cost to clean up Stanley’s property will likely be very expensive.

“You’re probably talking six figures to be honest,” Farr said. “Trash removal, it could be land clean up, scrap removal and then you have to avoid some hazards that could be there. You never know what people keep.”

“I can’t tell you his particular reasons for collecting what he collects, but I would say it’s pretty obvious there needs to be some help,” Coffin said.

No one answered the door at Stanley’s property when a Maine’s Total Coverage crew stopped by.

Neither the town’s code enforcement officer nor the town manager wanted to be interviewed for this story saying they “would rather remain in the background.”

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