Those who wanted the Brunswick Town Council to convert tax-acquired property at Mere Point to public use are throwing a Hail Mary.

Last month, the council voted to sell the parcel at 946 Mere Point Road after a contentious public debate between neighbors who wanted the land back on the tax roll and those who viewed the parcel as a rare chance to provide public access to the coast.

On Monday, the council voted on motions to sell the property with a deed restriction to a historic grave on site with the understanding the council will consider a walk-in-right-of way for shell fishermen. The council also approved a motion that would see any funds from sale proceeds going back to fund water access needs for the town after back taxes are paid by the property’s former owner, Richard Nudd of Walpole, Massachusetts.

Early this week, however, proponents of public access at 946 said they filed a formal request from the town for more information about the council’s deliberations, including a complete record of all exchanges between councilors and the public, including letters, email and phone records.

The request is in conjunction with a planned petition that will be circulated on Election Day that seeks to somehow reverse the council’s course.

The petition will be “in support of letting Brunswick voters decide if the land should be made a public park and have access for shellfish harvesting,” according to a press release.

Efforts to contact Tony Yuodsnukis, who is handling the petition, were unsuccessful.

Colleen McKenna, who made the information request from the council, admitted their efforts may be a long shot.

“This is a last gasp, seeing if we can do something to reverse the decision somehow,” McKenna said in an interview Wednesday.

McKenna said the council’s decision was “inexplicable,” given the amount of public support for creating coastal access at the property.

“It doesn’t seem representative of what the residents wanted,” said McKenna. “So many people were astonished and upset that the town was not retaining the property.”

Efforts to reach proponents of selling the land were unsuccessful Wednesday.

David Osterfeld, a Brunswick resident whose family owns land in the area and who has spoken out in favor of selling the parcel, was back home in South Carolina where he was repairing property damaged by Hurricane Matthew and said he couldn’t comment.

In an oped to The Times Record, however, Osterfeld maintained that the property was unusable for activities such as swimming and kayaking, while warning that the property could become a place for “late night loitering that could involve alcohol or drug usage.” He argued the town should instead reap the benefits of property taxes that could be generated off the land.

McKenna, meanwhile, lamented the loss of public access to coastal waters for both shellfishing and recreation due to private development.

“I’ve lived on the coast for 50-odd years, and I have witnessed the reduction in public access to the ocean all my life,” said McKenna. “I think everybody’s got a right to get to the water and access it. I think that’s a fundamental right of the people in Maine. … What’s so bad about having a small public park in your neighborhood?”

jswinconeck@timesrecord.com