Bristol Unable To Fix Private Road

Citing the opinion of the town’s attorney, the Bristol Board of Selectmen said the town can’t help the residents of Bristol Mews Road repair their road.

Bristol Fire Chief Paul Leeman brought the matter before the selectmen more than two months ago, when he expressed concern about the department’s ability to respond to an emergency on the deteriorating road.

The town’s attorney “is pretty adamant that the town cannot and should not be involved with the maintenance of a private road,” Chad Hanna, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said at the board’s Nov. 9 meeting.

“The only other way would be if it became a town road at some point,” Hanna said.

“It would have to be brought up to a certain standard to be acceptable,” Selectman Bill Benner said.

A small group of Bristol Mews Road residents attended the meeting.

Vera Havens said the road, and the residences on it, were built in the 1980s as low-income housing. The elderly people and families who live there “don’t have the income to keep up the road,” she said.

Clinton Gilbert, another resident, said he spent about $1000 on the road last year. Two estimates he received for a more thorough, long-term fix were approximately $12,500 and $15,000, respectively.

Gilbert asked the selectmen if they would be willing to provide gravel for him or someone else to perform repairs, a request the selectmen declined, again citing the advice of the town’s attorney.

The selectmen instead offered assistance in forming a road association and/or helping the residents obtain a better price for repairs.

Free-range dories, floats concern Round Pond residentsBristol Harbor Committee members, Round Pond residents and others met with the selectmen to complain about improperly secured dories and floats in Round Pond Harbor.

“They’re a hazard to navigation and they’re a slap in the face to people that pay for moorings every year,” Jamie Brinkler said.

The selectmen agreed to invite the owner of the dories and floats to their Wed., Nov. 16 meeting to discuss the issue.

Harrington MeetinghouseThe Pemaquid Historical Association, the guardian organization of the town-owned Harrington Meetinghouse, a historic 18th century structure, is asking the town for help with “fairly significant” maintenance issues, Hanna said.

Hanna called the request “reasonable” and said the meetinghouse is “a historic building we wouldn’t want to see go away.”

The town will have to budget for the request and ask for the town’s approval at the 2012 annual town meeting, the selectmen said.