Norfolk County Commission approves discontinuance of portion of Page Street in Stoughton

The Norfolk County Commission on April 30 approved the discontinuance of a portion of Page Street in Stoughton, west of Route 24, closing docket number 2037 and directing recording and transmittal of the attested return to the Stoughton town clerk.

The action matters because it completes a discontinuance process that the commission opened last fall and that required the town, the developer and abutters to meet conditions before final acceptance and recording.

County Engineer Patrick Higgins told the commission that the board had voted in September to conditionally discontinue the roadway and that “the town and the developer and all the abutters have met all the required conditions.” Higgins said County Council had reviewed the paperwork and recommended a vote to close the matter and record the discontinuance plan at the registry.

Commissioners then moved and seconded the formal order invoking Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 82, section 1, to authorize the discontinuance and to require the petitioner to pay all county expenses related to the petition. The commission also voted to transmit an attested copy of the return and order to the Stoughton town clerk for recording in that town’s books within 10 days.

The commission noted that the developer will reimburse Norfolk County for the county’s expenses related to the discontinuance and recording. Higgins said the reimbursement amount is “running just under about $2,100.” The motion also requires the petitioner to pay any expenses, publication and recording fees incurred by the county “no later than 30 days after the county’s request.”

No recorded roll-call vote count appears in the minutes beyond the chair’s call for those in favor; the chair and commissioners present called the vote and the motion was accepted. Commissioners signed two original sets of the return and order at the meeting so the county could complete its filings.

The commission’s action completes a process that began with the conditional vote last fall and the fieldwork this spring, including setting granite bounds after winter. County staff said the discontinuance package includes the discontinuous portion, easement elements and related indemnifications that are recorded separately at the registry and then filed with the town clerk.

County staff indicated the file will be recorded at the registry, with the county providing an attested copy to the town clerk and retaining originals in county records. No appeal, litigation, or further conditions were raised during the discussion.