Sanford council votes to recognize five roads as private and end routine public maintenance

The Sanford City Council voted on June 16 to determine that five roads previously plowed or serviced by the city will be recognized as private roadways and should no longer receive routine public maintenance.

Public works staff presented a records review of Dunaway Drive, Hermione Lane (various spellings noted in the record), Oak Hill Road, Punky Parkway and Sunny Lane and said they could not find documentation of formal council acceptance or recorded easements that would constitute a municipal acceptance. “Without acceptance from city council, private roadways cannot be maintained with public funds,” staff advised. The recommendation reflects a legal and insurance review that staff said requires the city to stop routine services absent formal acceptance.

Councilor Maura moved to determine the listed roads are private; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote with no recorded opposition. During discussion, staff acknowledged the record-keeping challenges and noted one 1874 acceptance record that was ambiguous because several roads in the area historically had the same name. Staff said a GASB roadway list marked one road as a townway but lacked the date of acceptance and staff treated that listing as an error pending further documentation.

Several residents spoke at the meeting expressing concern about the practical effect of the decision and asking for transition assistance. Jim Shepherd of 21 Punky Parkway said the change felt abrupt and asked the council to consider working with residents on a resolution rather than immediately ceasing services. City manager Steve Buck said the action is not a vacation or formal discontinuance; it is an acknowledgment that formal acceptance never occurred and that legal counsel and insurance guidance require stopping maintenance going forward unless an acceptance is documented.

Council members acknowledged the hardship for residents who have received services for decades and discussed outreach and potential options used by other towns, such as special legislative acts or roadway associations. The council did not set a timeline for cessation of services during the meeting beyond the statement that unaccepted roads should not be maintained with public funds going forward.

The council asked staff to continue researching title and deed records and to coordinate next steps with legal counsel and affected residents.