Massachusett General Law chapter 40
Section 6N: Private ways; temporary repairs, ordinances or by-laws
Section 6N. Cities and towns may by ordinance or by-law provide for making temporary repairs on private ways. Such ordinance or by-law shall determine (a) the type and extent of repairs; (b) if drainage shall be included; (c) if the repairs are required by public necessity; (d) the number of percentage of abutters who must petition for such repairs; (e) if betterment charges shall be assessed; (f) the liability limit of the city or town on account of damages caused by such repairs; (g) if the ways shall have been opened to public use for a term of years; and (h) if a cash deposit shall be required for said repairs.I traveled down Laurel View Road today and saw town property on that so called private road. Town property would be the light poles and wires etc,, belonging to a Town department, Templeton Light & Water. The united state postal service also goes down that road. I wonder if the Templeton police or fire department / ambulance have ever traveled down that road? I did not see any signs stating it is private property and since it has been open to the public and plowed for a number of years, I think the tax payers over there have a good case to be made, otherwise, why are they paying taxes if they will get nothing for it?
If all of those people suddenly stopped paying taxes, what then? Would Templeton take all of it by tax title and then what? How long would Templeton hold on to them? Who would buy it knowing the history? A planning board developer perhaps?
Time for the elected superior selectmen and elected planning board to step up and serve these taxpayers. Make the hard decision and make it happen, it is possible and it should be done.
Some where down the line somebody screwed up ! Why didn't the contractor who made this development finish it ? I would think it is safe to say, the people who bought homes on Laurel View had the expectation that this road they live on, would be a public road. So if the contractor did not live up to their expectations, do our "Superior leaders" make them live any longer on a unacepted road ? I agree with Jeff. Laurel View had existed for long enough as it is ! Why or how this came to be, is way behind us. Punishing the people who pay their taxes like you and me, makes no sense at all. The town should fix the road, for once and for all, and be done with this chapter of how once again, somebody screwed up. Let's hope people have learned and we do not let another contractor create more problems than they solve.
ReplyDeleteI completely second that statement Bev.
Deletethe town doesn't own the property.Its owned by the developer so why put money into it. they don't fix the roads we own ,so why put money into something we don't own.
ReplyDeleteYou have a point ! It is still pretty bad when people are in the position these home owners are in. BTW, thanks to the highway guys who filled the holes on South Road. From Scott's Corner to the Town Line, things were getting kind of dangerous. We could use a marker at the Town line. The old one has been missing for a long time. Every once and a while I see Hubbardston workers looking a little lost ! As some say, if you don't shoot for the basket, you won't score !
DeleteI think at last count there were 19 unapproved roads in Templeton.
ReplyDeleteI think the entire situation needs a plan. It is very expensive to bring roads up to current standards.
Chapter 90 money will only go so far and most of it has been committed to Royalston rd...unless that project has fallen "through the cracks"...
The selectmen, once upon a time, generated a list of roads for improvement with the input of the highway supt. Now that we have combined departments into a "DPW" , well how is that working out?
We are supposed to have a new system called "smart streets" or something similar that will determine what roads need repair by condition, not by who bitches the loudest.
ReplyDeleteThe "Smart Streets" program can only be used for shovel ready projects...that means the engineering plans need to be complete $$$$$ And the "Smart Streets" program insists upon sidewalks to nowhere which adds to the cost.
ReplyDeleteKinda like there will be probably a bike lane added to the traffic mess by the new elementary school. Go play in traffic!