FROM THE NEWSROOM: Dozens of Thompson residents showed up to a public hearing Wednesday night in support of preserving Starr Road and in hopes of official action being taken in that direction. However, residents were left unsatisfied, and the Board of Selectmen voted not to send the matter to town meeting, in a 2 to 1 vote. Residents stated their opinions and posed many questions to the panel of town officials, which was made up of the Selectmen, the Town Planner, the Town Attorney, and the Town Land Use Attorney. Many who had brought questions forward left the hearing feeling as if some of the answers given had been vague or were not answers at all. Town officials could not specify where exactly Starr Road ends. On the town websites GIS maps the road extends to the Rhode Island border, but town records indicate that the road ends where the driveways of the last properties on the road begin. Residents who live on the unimproved section of Starr Road accepted the responsibility of seasonal maintenance of their portion of the road 14 years ago, after being told that it wasnt the towns responsibility. The status of the road itself as an accepted town road was called in to question, as it had not been listed as one until 1970, according to resident Paul Baer, and the fact that the unimproved section and trail that extends to the Rhode Island border have not been maintained by the town for a long time left some wondering whether the road could be considered abandoned by the town. However, residents stated that they arent interested in changing the status of the road, whatever it may be, only that they want to preserve it. Town Attorney Bill St. Onge stated that there are different ways to go about this, but that it must be done properly. As for residents arguments about zoning regulations which limit lengths of cul de sacs to 1000 feet, the Town Land Use Attorney, Steven Byrne, noted that the road existed prior to town zoning regulations, so they would not apply. Starr Road residents first became concerned for the future of their road when River Junction Estates, LLC, the owner of land past the unimproved segment of road, began zoning activity on the property. Eight years ago, efforts to develop the land had been made, but it was deemed by town Zoning regulation that the 15.7 acre parcel was not a buildable lot at the time. Allan Rawson, River Junction Estates Managing Partner, was present at the hearing and stated that the land was to be donated in order to connect with a pre-existing trail system on land previously donated by that entity. He also stated that he had hoped to do this with the benefit of the youth organization Northeast Opportunities for Wellness (NOW) in mind. The donation was rescinded due to lack of permission from the State of Rhode Island to alter a culvert which had collapsed at some point, sending water down many parts of the trail which extends from the unimproved section of Starr Road. Rawson stated that the donation would likely still go through pending the permits from Rhode Island. He also stated that he had considered building a parking lot past the unimproved road, which would certainly require an upgrade. According to Rawson this would provide safer access to the trails and to the Tri-State marker; however, he had more recently taken the concerns of Starr Roads residents into account, and agreed that if a parking lot is to be built, it should be at the end of the cul de sac, where hikers currently park to access the trail. Following the meeting, town resident Don Pimental wondered why it hadnt been mentioned that he had offered to buy the 15.7 acres to preserve it for 150 years in the name of his brother. He said that nobody ever got back to him regarding the conservation offer, and questioned as to why the tentative donation would be for only 5.7 acres of the property. When the public hearing was finally adjourned, discussion among the Board of Selectmen continued. First and Second Selectmen Paul Lenky and Kerstin Forrester voted not to send the issue to town meeting due to there being no official, pending action before them, with which the Town Attorney agreed. Selectman Shaina Smith voted against the motion. She stated that “it seems as though some members of the Board were comfortable with adhering to existing statutes, but not adhering to the right of the electors who signed and submitted the petition,” referencing that the petition was not addressed in a legally timely fashion. Pimental stated that the petition will be resubmitted and that residents will “keep moving forward” in pursuit of keeping Starr Road in its natural state.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:42:30 +0000
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