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Commission discusses formalizing small access across town land at Mile Slip; suggests revocable permission and Selectmen sign-off
Summary
Landowner Steven Patrick has been using a 10–15-foot opening at the edge of the Mile Slip/ Summit Trail to access his property. The commission recommended creating a revocable permission letter to allow limited access while protecting town interests and the conservation area; the letter would be reviewed by the Board of Selectmen. Conditions such
The Milford Conservation Commission and a landowner discussed a small informal access across town-owned land at Mile Slip where a narrow opening in a stone wall has been used to reach private property.
Steven Patrick described the location as a roughly 10–15-foot zone at the curve of a Class 6 road and said he has been using it to access the back of his property. Commission members said New England Forestry Foundation monitors first raised the concern and commission staff carried out a field check.
Commission members said the town should formalize an approach rather than allow unregulated trespass. The group discussed a “revocable permission” letter: a document the town would issue allowing a named person limited access that can be withdrawn, rather than creating an easement that grants ongoing legal rights. A revocable permission, commissioners said, would permit access to Steven now but protect the town and future landowners — the town could revoke the permission if the access was altered, paved, used to remove stone walls, or used for substantial grading or tree cutting.
The discussion identified candidate conditions the commission wants included: no paving, no substantial change in grade, no tree cutting, no widening or removal of stone walls, and no transfer of rights to later owners. Commissioners also recommended a clear drawing (a GIS snapshot) showing the approximately 10–15-foot access area to attach to any permission letter, and adding a liability/hold-harmless paragraph similar to other town agreements. Town staff said the letter would be run past the Board of Selectmen, and could be placed on the BOS agenda for consideration; it would not appear at the next Monday meeting because that agenda is full.
Commissioners debated whether to make the permission renewable (for example, reviewed every three years) and whether the town should include an evergreen revocation clause rather than a renewable term. Some commissioners preferred indefinite revocable permission that the town could withdraw at will; others noted a renewable term would place an administrative reminder in the town calendar. Commissioners agreed that the Board of Selectmen should review the drafted permission language and that staff would prepare a draft and mapping for the Selectmen’s packet.
Ending: The commission did not adopt a motion at the meeting; members agreed to draft the revocable-permission document, prepare a small map of the access, and present it to the Board of Selectmen for formal review.
