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Resident seeks easement to run OBD pipe under road; Selectmen require easements and town‑meeting approval
Summary
Penn Rhodeen asked to run his on‑site discharge (OBD) pipe through a town culvert; Selectmen expressed concern about liability and said he must secure abutter easements and that any town easement likely requires a town meeting vote.
A resident, Penn Rhodeen, asked the Selectmen about running his OBD (on‑site disposal) discharge pipe through an existing town culvert beneath Indian Point Road.
TM Billings and multiple Selectmen said the town preferred that Mr. Rhodeen run his own culvert or secure required easements rather than rely on town drainage infrastructure. Concerns included the town’s exposure to future plugging or maintenance liability if a private discharge were routed through a town culvert.
At a November meeting the board moved to add a town meeting warrant article to create an easement allowing an OBD pipe under Indian Point Road, provided necessary specifications for road standards were met. That motion passed 3–1–1 (Brewer opposed, Steed abstained), reflecting disagreement among board members on whether the town should permit such use of its culvert.
Selectmen repeatedly noted any such crossing should include clear legal easements from abutters and specifications that assign maintenance responsibility to the property owner. The TM said she would follow up with legal counsel and with the property owner to ensure sketches and easements were in order if the matter were to go to the warrant.
