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Selectmen move to place Penn Rhodeen easement on town meeting warrant for OBD pipe under Indian Point Road
Summary
After discussing risks of running a private OBD discharge through a town culvert, the Selectmen voted to add an easement for Penn Rhodeen’s OBD pipe under Indian Point Road, subject to required specifications and adjoining landowner easements; the vote was 3‑1‑1 (Brewer opposed, Steed abstained).
Resident Penn Rhodeen asked the Selectmen whether his on‑board discharge (OBD) pipe for septic discharge could run through a town culvert. TM Billings and several Selectmen said they preferred that he install his own sleeve under the road and that any town easement be subject to specifications and protections for town drainage.
After discussion, Selectman Evelyn Duncan moved and Selectman Travis Fifield seconded a motion to add an article to the 2021 Annual Town Meeting warrant to grant an easement for Rhodeen’s OBD pipe under Indian Point Road provided the required specifications are met and adjoining‑owner easements are obtained. The motion passed with a 3‑1‑1 tally; Donna Brewer opposed and John Steed abstained. TM Billings said the board would require documentation and standard road‑cut specifications and emphasized the town would not assume liability for future maintenance problems related to a privately installed pipe.
Selectmen and staff said concerns included potential plugging of the culvert, responsibility for maintenance, and protection of town drainage infrastructure. TM Billings advised Rhodeen to secure abutter easements and to submit technical specifications for the pipe sleeve before the town places the easement article on the warrant.
The motion does not authorize town work or payment; it would authorize an easement subject to the conditions set by the board and standard road‑cut practices should voters approve the warrant article.
