Jay lawyers are looking into who owns the road.
JAY – More than 40 people crowded into the selectmen’s meeting Monday to discuss access to Parker Pond in East Jay.
The dead-end Parker Pond Road has been posted to all travelers except those who own land along it and those who have permission to ice fish, trap or engage in similar activity at the pond.
The issue has become contentious, selectmen’s Chairman Bill Harlow said. He has received several calls over the posting, he said, and other selectmen and the town manager have received them, too.
Harlow said the town’s lawyers are looking into ownership of the road. The town would hold a public hearing on the road, once the information has been gathered.
Some people attending were upset the private road leading to the pond was posted, while those who posted it explained it was to slow the traffic down and stop teenagers partying at the pond late at night.
Raymond Paul, whose family owns property on the road for the first 1,200 feet, said that no one who asked permission has been denied access over the road to the pond.
Paul said the police couldn’t do anything with complaints because the road is private. The excess traffic has also caused the family’s water pipes to freeze under the dirt road and has placed Paul’s grandchildren in jeopardy.
Selectman Ray Pineau said Parker Pond is considered one of the Great Ponds owned by Maine residents, that is a secondary water source for the Livermore Falls Water District, which serves customers in Livermore Falls and Jay.
Other property owners along the road to the pond include Dick Sproul, Norwood Farrington, Warren Dorey and the Water District. The district owns land around the pond and has legal access to travel over road to the pond. Central Maine Power Co. also has access over the road.
Sproul presented selectmen with papers from Franklin County that noted the road was discontinued in the late 1800s. It’s private property, Sproul said.
Residents who live in the area said there had been a problem in the past on the road leading to the pond, but there haven’t been problems of late.
Dorey said he wanted anybody who wanted to fish the pond to be able to. Some others agreed.
One unidentified person asked why punish the entire town because of some kids’ actions.
When Darcy Fortier asked Paul if he would give everyone in the room permission to travel on the road to ice fish, Paul said, “Yes.”
However, Dick Sproul said that permission only goes for the Pauls’ property.
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