LEVERETT — Residents who live on a private road next to Leverett Pond are asking voters at annual Town Meeting next month to accept their dead-end street as a public way.
Ellen Drews, of Camp Road, told the Select Board on April 21 that the petition article is coming forward on Saturday, May 2, because the residents on the short road, located off Long Hill Road, are finding it increasingly challenging to maintain, particularly during the winter months.
The residents paid $8,000 this past winter for plowing and sanding the road, and hiring a contractor to do this work is not easy, Drews said. She added that the road has been resurfaced in recent years, so would bring with it minimal immediate upkeep.
While the Select Board is not expected to take a position on the petition, member Tom Hankinson, who lives on the nearby Cider Mill Road, also a private way, appreciated the motivation of the residents.
“It’s difficult to maintain and can be a dangerous road,” Hankinson said.
Besides those who live on the street, Camp Road offers access to recreation opportunities on both the pond and on nearby trails.
Drews said there will be concern for adding this responsibility for the Highway Department, though she estimates that those who live on the street pay $81,406 in property taxes annually, a figure that will increase once next year’s budget is adopted.
The warrant article notes Camp Road is on the northwest shore of Leverett Pond, and approving the change will “support public access to conservation and recreation land, improve accessibility for emergency response, and provide equitable municipal services to
Leverett residents on Camp Road.”
Other business
In other business, Town Administrator Marjorie McGinnis said the town has gone out to bid for the covered stage that will be part of a new outdoor space at the Leverett Library, 75 Montague Road. That project, including an accessible and interactive community park with a paved path and a boardwalk for observation of nearby wetlands, is expected to be done by the end of July.
Select Board member Jed Proujansky said he attended a recent Franklin Regional Council of Governments meeting where one of the topics discussed was finding more efficiencies for public education, such as regionalization, as a necessity in response to declining enrollments in rural communities.
