Hermon residents voice opposition to land purchase

HERMON – Residents living along Treadwell Acres got a reprieve Wednesday, at least for now, from an effort that could put an end to their dead end street by turning it into a connector street through a proposed subdivision to a road.

The town had sought approval at a special town meeting Wednesday to purchase land that would pave the way to extend Treadwell Acres, connecting it to an 18-unit subdivision being proposed that would eventually connect the Smith Road with the Bog Road. The Bog Road is currently the only access way for Treadwell Acres.

But a half-dozen residents of the dead end road voiced strong opposition to the purchase that was not to exceed $25,000. A vote at Wednesday’s meeting yielded no show of hands in favor of it, including among voting council members.

“I feel we were heard,” said Pam Auge who has lived on Treadwell Acres for 26 years. Her home was the first to be built on the road and she and others complained that connecting the streets would take away all the things that make living on the dead end so attractive, like the security, relative isolation and safety for kids to play. With so little traffic her grandchildren can come visit, ride bikes, roller blade or otherwise play in and around the road in relative safety, she said.

What will happen next is not clear even to David and Michelle Theriault, whose tenth-of-an-acre is at the center of the discussion. The couple left the meeting unsure of what the next step would be.

Town Manager Clint Deschene said he will be meeting with the town’s attorney and also discussing options with the council that could include taking the property by eminent domain.

Deschene said the town has tried to avoid such a drastic measure and sought something that would make the developer and landowners as whole as possible. But he said the town has some legal mandates to uphold. The land purchase was brought to town residents because the town’s land use ordinance seems to require street connections in the locale designated as a growth area, Deschene said.

Others disagreed. During Wednesday’s meeting, long-time Treadwell Acres resident Jim Feeney accused the town of catering to development, something Deschene firmly denied, saying that the road would improve access to emergency personnel while costing less to keep up.

“We’re not doing this to enhance a development, we’re doing this to create safer roads and less maintenance costs,” said Deschene, words that drew muffled words of disagreement from some residents.