FARMINGTON – Commissioners voted unanimously to deny a request from Strong residents Tuesday to consider a petition on a complaint pertaining to ice conditions at the end of Church Hill Road in Strong.
Several residents on the road and Strong selectmen are locked in a contentious dispute, which has been a factor recently in two selectmen resigning and two others trying to withdraw their nomination papers, over whether the town owns the road and is responsible for maintaining it.
Selectmen stated previously that the town doesn’t own the road and information they have shows it was discontinued about 60 years ago.
The petition submitted to commissioners was dated Jan. 19 and signed by Richard Shurtleff, Wendall Voter, Eunice Shurtleff, Vernon Voter, Susan Voter and Mahlon Voter.
It states that “town plows can no longer travel this piece of the town road. It is impossible for an ambulance, firetruck or any utility vehicle to turn in this area, which is what this area was built for by the town in the first place. Lumber operations are at a standstill because trucking is impossible over this town road.”
Commission Chairman Fred Hardy of New Sharon told residents that Tuesday’s meeting was only to determine whether commissioners have the authority to consider the petition.
“This has to be in fact a town road and we don’t know if it is a town road,” Hardy said.
Wendall Voter said the road is “most definitely a town road.”
“We realize you are not a court of law,” Voter said, but there is proof it is a town road.
Voter said the road, which has been known by other names, was discontinued several times, the last time in 1945.
“Our problem is the town owns the property but they’re not aware of it,” Voter said. “They’ve refused to see their own historic documents and voted not to review them.”
Voter claims the town extended this road to a turnaround, and the town has an easement over the road.
Hardy told Voter that they were only hearing one side, and both sides need to be heard.
The issue has to go to Superior Court to determine whether this road is a town road, Hardy said.
Commissioners have no place in determining the status of a road, he said, but they could hear the complaint of failure to maintain if the road is determined to be town-owned.
Commissioner Meldon Gilmore of Freeman Township said it’s not that commissioners don’t want to hear the complaint, it’s that by statute “we cannot hear it.”
In other business, Hardy said he checked out a complaint from Weld selectmen about the condition of Route 156 during a day in January. He said the contractor told him he had been out at midnight sanding the road and went out again in the morning hours.
Commissioner Gary McGrane of Jay suggested that if one resident had direct contact with the contractor to inform him when conditions are bad that might help.
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