BETHEL – Despite being approved twice by voters, the proposed relocation of a portion of the Taylor Smith Road may require another vote.

That’s because town officials at Monday night’s selectmen’s meeting learned that both the June town meeting and November referendum votes didn’t meet the statutory requirement for discontinuing a road.

Apparently, before the town can proceed with the 900-foot relocation project – estimated to cost up to $8,000 – it must first abandon the 1,100 feet affected by the relocation.

Selectman Chairman Harry F. Dresser Jr. said the matter was just a formality. But, if the matter isn’t resolved, the town runs a risk of ending up with an $8,000 road the town cannot use because it’s putting public money on private land.

Selectmen also tabled a decision to authorize construction of the relocation after new information surfaced that it might cost more than the $8,000 approved by voters Nov. 4.

“Annoyingly, the price of trucking has crept up,” Town Manager Scott Cole said.

Tibbetts and Verrill is willing to provide all material trucking services and construct the sub-base of a road of approximately 900 feet in length to town specifications for a fee of $6,000, Cole added.

“I couldn’t get Tibbetts to come down on the price,” he said, noting that the original estimate was between $4,000 and $5,000.

Other cost problems involve road inspection services, surveying work and legal fees.

“We have to do it for $8 grand and this doesn’t do it,” said Selectman Al Barth.

Despite voter approval of the project, selectmen still have the right to deny it if they’re not satisfied with it.

But rather than decide what to do, they tabled the matter until Cole could provide them with firmer cost quotes.

Once that is done, the board expects to convene a special meeting to either approve or disapprove the project, especially if it can’t be done for $8,000 or less.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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