CALAIS – Some residents along the Hardscrabble Road want a neighbor to remove boulders that have been placed across a city-owned right of way to the city’s largest lake.

But the man who placed the boulders on the road last year seemed unenthusiastic about moving them Tuesday night.

Jim Porter, the assistant city manager, said the city was not opposed to rocks being placed there during mud season, but that now some area residents want the boulders removed so they can have access to Nashs Lake.

More than 20 residents who attended a public hearing sponsored by the City Council on Tuesday night questioned Howard’s right to block access to the lake.

Meanwhile, the city’s attorney will be at the council meeting next week to discuss the issue.

The property is in a remote area, about eight miles south of downtown. At the end of the Hardscrabble Road is a woods road that winds uphill toward Nashs Lake and a granite dam that was built in 1839.

Whitens Mill at one time was located in that area. “It shows on the maps of the 1800s,” Porter said. The 5-mile-long lake is the largest in the city.

The city acquired the 640-acre parcel that abuts the lake in the 1950s. Several years ago, the city hired a local wood harvester to cut some of the wood. He built a road across his property and extended it across the city’s property. Later, he deeded a right of way across his land to the city. The harvester subsequently sold the land to Howard. It is that portion of road that is at issue.

During the public hearing, Melissa Roussell, a resident of the area, presented the council with a hand-drawn map showing the city land that abuts the lake. Area residents want the city to install picnic tables and a children’s playground on that land. They also suggested that an observation deck be installed so visitors could have a view of the heath and its wildlife.

Money to fund the project could come from the sale of timber that was removed from the land adjacent to the road. “That was one of the ideas behind utilizing the money raised from the cutting of the wood down there … for a low-upkeep walking path, something like that,” said Councilor Steve Driscoll.

Driscoll said he was concerned about vandalism because Calais police could not regularly patrol the area.

Some of the residents who attended the meeting said they would create a neighborhood watch program to help protect the area.

Howard on Tuesday night warned that someone would have to be on site at all times.

“You [want] this park? That’s all well and fine. But who’s going to man it? Someone’s got to be there. People can’t police that by themselves all 24 hours a day while it’s open,” he said.

Councilor Ferguson Calder asked residents that if they were willing to create a neighborhood watch program, would they be willing to keep the area clean? Roussell said they already were doing that.

The councilors also discussed placing a fence around the dam to keep people from going out on it.

When Howard asked what the city’s liability would be if someone fell off the dam, the councilors responded that it was no different from any other piece of city property.

Howard also brought up the issue of the area’s delicate ecology. He said the property was in a resource protection zone, so that if the city planned to make changes in the area, it would have to present the plan to the Calais planning board.

Porter said the city would follow all requirements.

Councilor Earl Jensen said he believes the city owned the right of way across Howard’s property. “So I don’t think he can stop us from going across that property,” he said.

The councilors said they appreciated the efforts of the residents, who put together the plan for using the area.

They then took the issue under advisement until their meeting next week when they will have had the opportunity to look at all the issues. The city apparently has the right to restrict usage, including use of motor vehicles, on the road. “We’ll have to put it on the agenda for the next meeting and discuss what the municipal purpose is going to be, because now the only municipal purpose for the area is wood cutting,” Mayor Eric Hinson said.