SANGERVILLE – Barbara and Alan Nickerson’s home is tucked at the end of the Thomas Road with only deer as neighbors in a wooded area to the south.

It is a quiet neighborhood and the Nickersons hope to keep it that way.

Doubts about their future solitude, however, surfaced a few years ago when the owner of an abutting 43-acre parcel of land harvested the timber on the property. The Nickersons, who were worried about the potential development of the land and the disruption of a deer trail that ran through the area, inquired about the purchase of the surrounding acreage.

Before any negotiations could be conducted by the Nickersons, the landowner accepted a deal with Sangerville officials. The 43-acre parcel was traded to the town for wood stumpage from town-owned woodlots.

Now that the parcel is under town ownership, it appears the couple may have another chance to ensure their solitude.

Selectmen this week recommended, if acceptable by law, to offer the land to abutting landowners, including a local physician who has made it known he wants to buy the entire parcel. The move by selectmen came on the heels of a town meeting vote last week to sell the property and get it back on the tax rolls.

And that was good news to Barbara Nickerson.

“Great,” she said when told Thursday of the board’s recommendation. “I had always been interested in getting some land behind us.”

To ensure the legality of the move, selectmen Tuesday directed Town Manager Martin Puckett to ask the Maine Municipal Association for an opinion.

In other business Tuesday, the board voted to investigate the cost of monitoring three wells on the landfill and a nearby stream as part of the landfill closure plan; agreed to develop a five-year plan for capital improvements and purchases; and elected Rick Pellerin as board chairman.