The entrance to Fisher Pond Road off Mountainview Drive is easy to miss.
Photo: Google
By Zendelle Bouchard
The City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 17 to recognize Fisher Pond Road as a private road, meaning the city will cease plowing and maintaining it after this winter. Public Works Director Matt Hill reported that his research turned up no evidence the city had ever accepted the dirt road as a public way. Municipalities are prohibited by state law from using public funds to maintain private property, and city officials are researching roads suspected of being privately owned in an effort to comply with the law and reduce the burden on taxpayers.
Fisher Pond Road is located off Mountainview Drive along Old Fishing Pond near Curtis Lake. There are two year-round properties there as well as a number of seasonal camps. Resident Hervey Turner said he was told by his realtor that the road was public when he purchased his home in 2015, and he is concerned about liability when members of the public come down the road to access the pond. Mayor Becky Brink responded that the property owners have always had that liability as the road has always been privately owned. The street sign, which has gone missing, will be replaced by Public Works as a public safety measure.
Also at the Feb. 17 meeting:
Biosolids plant: Two Sanford residents, Gerry Gay and John Henkelman, addressed the council during public participation time to voice their opposition to the biosolids gasification facility being proposed by Aries Clean Technologies on Cyro Drive. Gay, a retired Sanford firefighter, expressed concern about PFAS (forever chemicals) leaching into groundwater from the plant and called it “a bad idea for this community.” Henkelman, an analytical scientist with a background in biotech, cautioned the council and the public to take the report Aries filed with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection “with a grain of salt” as state regulators do not always have the most up-to-date scientific information. He provided council members with a 17-page report he compiled with his concerns about the potential health impacts of the proposed facility.
Representatives from Aries will hold an open house at Goodall Library on Feb. 25 to answer questions from the public. Details here: https://sanfordspringvalenews.com/event/aries-clean-technologies-open-house/
Read our previous article for more info: https://sanfordspringvalenews.com/company-eyes-sanford-for-biosolids-plant/.
Councilor comments: Councilor Jonathan Martell expressed frustration with the lack of information he has received about the Aries project as well as a data center being proposed for Sanford, and said he believes information is not being shared with all councilors equally. “I requested updates be part of the agenda this evening, but that has not happened,” he stated. Mayor Brink responded that she distributed all the information she has but “I can’t force you to read what I give you.” She added that the request to add items to the agenda was received over the holiday weekend, too late for it to be included. Councilor Nate Hitchcock said that as a member of the Sewer District Board, it’s possible he has received more details on the Aries project.
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