St. Albans slates special town meeting for May 18

ST. ALBANS ? Incorrect wording and an omission in the annual town meeting warrant has prompted a special meeting in St. Albans to appropriate $12,000 in legal fees to continue fighting a local resident over land ownership and $400,000 in road repairs.

The meeting has been set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at the St. Albans Town Hall. The warrant features three issues: the legal fees, approval for a bond to repair roads, and an appropriation to cover abatements.

The $400,000 bond would be used to repave Square Road, Hamm Road, Ripley Road, Melody Lane Road, Pond Road and Mountain Road. This article was approved in March, but the wording was incorrect and must be subject to vote again.

The legal fees are necessary, the warrant states, because of continuing legal battles over Town Landing Road. Because of eminent domain, the town took property owned by Gary Jordan Sr. along the road in 2001. Since then, Jordan has been fighting that process in court.

A recent ruling in Somerset County Superior Court bumped most of the issue to the Maine Supreme Court for a ruling because state courts have no authority to overrule an action of a Maine town.

Jordan is readying for another court hearing in Superior Court in August to deal with a trespass issue. He is accusing the town of trespassing on his property by allowing a series of utility poles to be installed and by permitting a stonewall used as a boundary to be breached.

Town Manager Larry Post could not be reached Friday for comment, but Jordan said he will point out to voters at the special meeting that the selectmen who approved the eminent domain move didn’t have all the facts. He has a series of five letters, affidavits and selectmen meeting minutes to back up his contention, he said.

Jordan said voters need to know the full extent of the situation before they vote to continue action against him.