Stamford Asked to Turn Public Road Private

By Liz Page

HOBART – The town has been asked to take over private roads but has never faced the dilemma of taking a public road and making it private. Craig Grace posed that situation to them at their meeting on Feb. 14.

People have been doing burnouts along the stretch where there are no houses or buildings and he owns the property all along the portion of Rich Road in question. He said since the Turquoise Barn, there have been strangers going up and down the road and walking across the lawn on Rich Road. For a time it was a high school hang-out. He said he wondered what the procedure would be to make it private.

John Kosier said he would ask the county Department of Public Works.

There was concern it would remove a one-mile portion of roadway from the town's inventory, which is used to calculate Comprehensive Highway Improvement Program funds.

An answer is expected at the March meeting.

Board members also reviewed the LVDV proposal to replace relief valves along the main. Mike Cairns said he would order two new valves and five valve rebuilding kits. He said the valves have exceeded their life expectancy. Board members approved the purchase.

He also said there is inflow and infiltration coming into the system and he said a camera should be used to find where the groundwater is making its way into the system.

It was also agreed to replace the valves with automated valves at a cost if$14,418, to prevent the continued need to enter confined space.

The board adjourned with a very light agenda, after briefly discussing that another vehicle had gone off Roxbury Mountain Road.