LIVERMORE – Voters turned out in record numbers Wednesday night to decide what to do about the long debated Batten Road issue.

More than 100 citizens were on hand to express their opinions on the issue, finally defeating by secret ballot, an amendment presented by Dennis Mancine and voting to allow the road to remain gated and closed to motor vehicle traffic for up to five years.

ATVs, snowmobiles and pedestrians will still be allowed to pass over the property as they have been in the past. The issue has been before town officials since November of 2002.

Citizens agreed they would have to trust their selectpersons and their attorney to have a legal agreement drawn up within the perimeters of Article 4 which gave the board authorization to enter into an agreement with the property owners, Kenneth and Norma Constantine and Ralph and Monique Walton.

Within the five years, they will rebuild the road for motor vehicle traffic, following the specifics in the article.

An attempt by Mancine to add and amendment to Article 5, which would have been considered had Article 4 failed, was met with boos from citizens who had been in the standing-room-only hall for nearly two hours.

Prior to the Batten Road issue, voters elected Clint Boothby as moderator and approved borrowing $106,628.50 from undesignated surplus to work on the Sanders Road drainage project.

The money will be returned to surplus following the annual town meeting when the entire amount of the project will be sought. Citizens also agreed to transfer $3,500 from surplus to the Legal Account.

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