Free and unfettered access to public information will forever remain integral to the weft and warp of the fabric of our society.

The importance of such access can't be overstated, particularly in the area of land records where the vitality of an economy, industry and even ancestry are so clearly documented in terms of both time and space.

Last week's landmark decision by the Hancock County commissioners to remove all fees for copies of records from the deeds' Web site (www.hancockcountydeeds.com) sets the tone of the discussion that's sure to follow for the balance of the other 15 counties in Maine: that this is the public's information and not a commodity to be mongered at the public's further expense.

As a daily user of this public information and on behalf of all the clients that we serve, I wish to express my gratitude and praise to Commissioners Fay Lawson, Joe Brown and Steve Joy for their decision to make copies freely available to the public from the Hancock County Registry of Deeds Web site.

I also wish to express my sincere thanks to the registrar of deeds, Julie Curtis, and to her entire staff for a job well done in leading Hancock County and the state of Maine toward better stewardship of our public land records and away from the hands of the hucksters and profiteers.

V. Kelly Bellis, PLS

Horizon Surveying Co. Inc.

Ellsworth