Commissioners relinquish road, review budget and hire dispatchers

FARMINGTON — County commissioners on Tuesday relinquished the county's connections to an old right of way in Madrid.

Melvyn Webber of Phillips made a request for the county to release the right of way formerly known as State Aid Highway No. 2. A friend, Chris Botka of Sandy River Plantation, presented Webber's request to the commission.

The history of the piece of property dates back to 1959 when the state began a road project to move State Aid Highway No. 2 east about 570 feet from the intersection of Reeds Mills Road and Calvin Gray Road.

After the state bought property from Webber's father, Roosevelt Webber, and Austin Sargent, the state abandoned the road. The state turned the road over to the town of Madrid in 1982, but when Madrid de-organized, all roads, right of ways and easements were turned over to the county to be maintained, Webber wrote to the commissioners. The old road has not been maintained.

Webber acquired the property from the estate of Lillian Webber. It abuts the former Sargent property and because it is an easement, the commission would be releasing its interest but not ownership of any real property, he said.

Commissioners questioned making a decision without the second owner there, but then determined that they were only releasing the county's interest in the right of way. The county would have no future responsibility if the commission relinquished its interest, Chairman Fred Hardy said.

In other business, commissioners approved hiring two part-time dispatch officers for the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, as recommended by Sheriff Dennis Pike

He recommended hiring Livermore Falls dispatcher John L. Irving, who in addition to his full-time work in Livermore Falls has been working part time for the corrections facility, Pike said. His second recommendation was to hire Robert Underwood who will need training for the part-time position.

abryant@sunjournal.com