TURNER – Town officials have filed a lawsuit against a man accused of ignoring years of warnings to clean up his yard.

Filed in Androscoggin County Superior Court, the suit alleges that William Whitman is using his property at 388 Upper St. in Turner as an illegal automobile graveyard and junkyard.

The suit describes the junk cars, plumbing parts, heating supplies, electronic and industrial equipment, household appliances and other trash in Whitman’s yard as a detriment to the health, safety and welfare of the public.

Whitman laughs at the notion that his “collectibles” are considered dangerous.

“How are they detrimental?” he said Friday. “We’re right in the middle of the country. We’re not on a watershed. We’re not by a river. If the stuff doesn’t bother me, it shouldn’t bother anyone else.”

Whitman, whose family has lived in Turner since the 1800s, says his property was never a problem until new people with more money started moving to town.

He claims he isn’t worried about the town’s latest attempt to force him to clean up his property. He plans to stand by the position he has argued since 1995, when town officials first questioned his use of the property.

“Yeah, I have stuff on my land. So what? It’s my stuff. It’s my land,” he said.

The suit accuses Whitman of violating Turner’s zoning ordinance and the ordinance governing junkyards.

Whitman acknowledged that he has 22 broken-down cars and other equipment in his yard, but he denied having a junkyard. He says he has used or intends to use everything on the property.

The Turner Board of Selectman gave town officials permission in September 2003 to pursue legal action against Whitman and four other property owners who had failed to comply with the town’s ordinances.

According to Roger Williams, the town’s code enforcement officer, Whitman was the only person who refused to work with him.

“It’s the only case that has gone this far,” Williams said.

Whitman said he has agreed to one of the town’s requests. He put in a fence in 1998.

“But that wasn’t enough,” he said.

Williams sent the most recent violation notices to Whitman in May 2003, then November 2003, giving him a specific length of time to remove the debris from his property.

Whitman filed an appeal in December 2003, but the Zoning Board of Appeals rejected his argument that the town was invading his privacy.

The town is now asking the court to order Whitman to remove all of the junk from his property. It also wants him to pay civil penalties and the town’s attorney fees.