PERU – Several residents attended the selectmen’s meeting Monday night to voice their concerns over what rights they have to the beach at the former Worthley Pond store.

Secretary Kathy Hussey provided copies of a deed from 1929 that gave the town a right to cross any land owned at the beach to access the water.

There was considerable discussion over where this access was deeded. Board Chairman Bill Hine asked Hussey to research the old deeds and find out if the town actually owns any land in the vicinity of the store.

The store is for sale again for $275,000. The property has a beach that people have used for years.

Dawna Kazregis volunteered to find out if there is any interest in the town purchasing the property for parking, toilet facilities and the beach if it is determined that the town has no other access.

In other business, Code Enforcement Officer Jack Plumley reported that the town has some serious problems with storm management that must be addressed. He said Packard Road has a brook crossing it and where the road was ditched, silt is going directly into the brook.

He also said during the recent storm he personally watched the ground at the Snow Shoe camp wash directly into Worthley Pond.

Hine asked Plumley if the town was doing enough.

“No, you are not doing enough. For one thing ditching must be done right or not at all,” Plumley said.

Hine said he would ask Road Commissioner David Gammon to attend the next meeting Aug. 14 to discuss what needed to be done to curb erosion.

Selectman Andy St. Pierre asked if there was any reason why the town did not borrow money. He said, “We could borrow $500,000 and do what needs to be done on our roads. We could sit here all night and try to prioritize road jobs, but we have no money.”

Selectman Andy DeRoche added the town is never going to get caught up without borrowing.”

Hine asked Town Clerk Vera Parent to prepare figures on what servicing a debt up to $1 million would cost compared to what the town would vote to pay for roads each year anyway.

The contractor for the salt and sand shed facility informed the office that they were going to raise the floor 3 inches to help drainage. The board agreed that these kinds of changes should be approved in light of the fact that more money might be involved.

Sherry Clement from the Worthley Pond Association thanked Selectman Rodney Jamison for judging the Christmas in July camps and boats and presented him with two Worthley Pond coffee mugs.

She said 150 boats and camps were decorated.

First place winners were Gloria, Phil and Todd Lariviere of Kensington, N.H., on East Shore Road. Second place went to Leo, Jill and Cindy Hamann of Rumford. Third place went to Peter and Pat Brawn of Cape Elizabeth. Fourth place was to Steve Gallant of Peru and fifth place to Phil and Kathy Buskey of Falmouth.