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Contentious public forum on renaming Spur Road ends with board promising review of petition and deeds
Summary
Residents and the road applicant debated renaming Spur Road (proposed 'Wingate'), focusing on address-change burdens, GPS/9-1-1 concerns, and road maintenance obligations; zoning administrator said majority on the road oppose the change and the board agreed to review petitions and deeds before deciding.
The Shaftesbury Selectboard heard more than an hour of public comment Monday about a privately maintained street proposed to be renamed from Spur Road to Wingate (or Wingate Lane), then agreed not to decide the request at the meeting and to review a submitted petition, deeds and relevant statutes.
Carlin, the town's zoning administrator, told the board the request had been vetted with E-9-1-1 and that 11 properties (10 owners) sit on Spur Road. She said two households supported the change, six households opposed it and had submitted a petition (on file with the town office), and a short section of the road lies partly in Bennington but is unlikely to block the request. Carlin noted the state has a statute that, in the absence of a maintenance agreement, allows neighbors to seek civil enforcement of maintenance obligations.
Jeffrey Paul, who submitted the renaming request and said his property includes a 50-foot deeded right of way, argued the change would symbolically mark a "fresh start" for the neighborhood and that he would pursue a road maintenance agreement and a survey to clarify boundaries. "It's 12 going on 13 years in the making," he said of his effort to address long-standing maintenance issues.
Opponents at the microphone said the logistical and financial burden of changing addresses and updating accounts, driver's licenses and other records is significant, and they worried about GPS and emergency-response confusion. Longtime resident Jill Bishop said she saw "no benefit" in changing the road name after decades of the status quo, adding that many neighbors value the quiet character of the private road.
Other residents described a mix of long-term caretakers of the roadway and new owners who use heavy equipment; speakers repeatedly raised the need for a maintenance agreement and asked the board to examine deed language. The board declined to vote, saying it would collect the petition and deed information, consult the legislation cited and revisit the matter at a future meeting.
The board emphasized it does not plan to make an emergency-driven change — Carlin said E-9-1-1 reported no immediate addressing or emergency-service issue — and that renaming is primarily an aesthetic or administrative choice that typically follows local procedure and majority preference on the street.
The selectboard asked staff to compile deeds, the petition and relevant statutory citations to provide a packet for board review before deciding.
