LISBON — Criticized at this week’s Town Council meeting by two residents for his handling of trails development, Trails Commission Chairman Steve Warren said Thursday that despite the criticism, he’s been getting a good response overall from residents.
“Almost universally, our interaction with landowners has been very positive,” Warren said. He issued an invitation to anyone interested in the town’s trails to attend the commission’s meetings at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of the month at the Town Office.
On Tuesday night, Mark Sherbak and Jeff Pulsifer told members of the Town Council they were concerned about statements Warren had made about possible trail or other projects on their land or their relatives’ land.
Both said they were not interested in having a trail or other town projects on their land and wondered what kind of authority Warren had. Sherbak, who complained that Warren showed up on his property without first calling, asked that the council consider removing Warren from the commission.
On Tuesday night, Town Council Chairwoman Lisa Ward called Warren “enthusiastic,” but said the council would take the complaints seriously and look into them, as well as concerns raised by others about the committee.
Asked Thursday if any of the statements Sherbak made to the council were untrue, Warren said, “This was just a way for him to undermine the trails project.”
Warren said Sherbak was opposed to having a section of one of the trails cross his property, which resulted in delaying the construction of the trail for nearly two years to get a permit to cross wetlands. The extra 1,000 feet of trail that had to be built cost an extra $500,000, Warren said.
Pulsifer complained at Tuesday’s meeting that he got upset while watching a broadcast of a recent council meeting on the town’s public access channel when he heard Warren talking about putting a trail across Pulsifer’s land or his parents’ land.
Warren said Thursday that he was referring to putting a trail along a Central Maine Power right of way that crosses Pulsifer’s parents’ land. “We were just looking at the logistics of it,” Warren said. “Nothing’s been settled.”
The town has about 4 miles of bicycle and pedestrian trails in addition to the recreational trails at Beaver Park. Officials estimate that about 50,000 people per year use the trails.
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