BUCKFIELD — The Select Board postponed a decision Tuesday on an easement issue involving an access road on private property that leads to a town-owned ballfield. The decision will enable board members and the town manager to schedule a walkthrough of the property.

The gravel access road to the parking lot behind the ballfields on Cross Road is owned by Dana and Seri Lowell, owners of the Lowell Family Farm. There is no other way to drive to the parking lot.

The Lowells utilize the road to get their heavy equipment onto their farm fields.

The family has no objection to people using the road to reach the parking lot. They have asked to be free from any liability for any injuries or damage suffered along the access road by people heading to and from the ballfield. Another possible solution would be to sell the access road to the town in return for granting an easement so that the Lowells can still access their fields.

The Lowells first discussed the issue in 2020 with then-Town Manager Joe Roach, and the two sides were working toward a solution, but when he left in August of that year the matter never got settled. Seri Lowell recently reached out to Town Manager Lorna Nichols to see if they could reach an agreement.

The land was once part of a planned subdivision called Nezinscot Meadows in 2005 that was never developed. The owner of the property at the time exchanged a portion of the land with the town to develop an access road to the subdivision. According to a memo by Roach, “no easement was retained by the town for access to the parking area at the rear of the field, possibly since it may have been assumed that the access road to the subdivision would eventually be accepted as a public way.”

The Select Board seemed willing to resolve the issue, but some asked Nichols and Seri Lowell to arrange a walkthrough so they could see the property in question. A walkthrough is expected to occur before the next meeting.

In other business, the board amended its culvert policy by including the cost of 12 yards of gravel and three yards of riprap to the cost of the culvert that it charges residents as part of the driveway entrance permit. The fee covers the cost of materials. All work must be done by town employees.

The board unanimously approved a special amusement permit and a liquor license for Buck-It Grill & Pub following a public hearing on the request.

Nichols reported that nomination papers are available starting Thursday. Open seats include two on the Select Board and one board of directors seat for Regional School Unit 10. The election is tentatively set for Aug. 16.

The board also accepted the resignations of Bill and Paula Sullivan from the Planning Board. In their resignation letter, the Sullivans wrote, “We joined in hopes of charting a plan for Buckfield’s future, but, unfortunately, feel the Select Board has its own agenda, which does not agree with ours.”

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