Road Discontinuation Approved

Road Discontinuation Approved
But state could still bypass vote by Town Meeting
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON  As part of the ongoing saga between local and state officials concerning the decommissioned Templeton Developmental Center and surrounding property, Town Meeting voters approved the discontinuation of 8 lane miles of road running through the campus, though whether the decision will legally hold water is up for debate.

Planning Board Chairman Kirk Moschetti explained that discontinuing the roads will effectively turn them back to the property owners — in this case the state Department of Develop­mental Services and state Division of Capital Asset Mana­gement and Maintenance.

“The state owns every square inch of property touching those roads,” Mr. Moschetti told Town Meeting members. “There are no private entities up there.”

Five roads wind through the rural complex sitting off Route 202 — Freight Shed Road, Hill Road, Norcross Road, Elliot Road and Fernald Road. These roads, with their steep hills and winter snow drifts, represent an unfair burden on the town, Mr. Mos­chetti argued — a burden from which the town is unlikely to see any returns.

“There’s absolutely no value to the town up there,” he said. The developmental center has been in the process of partial closure and restructuring for years, and state officials had planned on turning the roads over to the town starting July 1 on the basis that, before the center was built, they were recognized and accepted town roads. Mr. Moschetti and other local officials have disputed this fact on the basis that the state has yet to produce proof the roads were once town property.

“We honestly don’t believe they’re ours, but in case they are, we’re going to give them back,” Mr. Moschetti said. Residents argued that for years “No Trespassing” signs greeted anyone looking to drive through the complex, and that they were frequently stopped by the campus police force and told they were not allowed on the premises.

Board of Selectmen Chairman John Columbus — who also heads the Templeton Developmental Center Re-Use Committee — cautioned against discontinuing the roads, saying it was too early in the re-use process for such extreme measures.

“We’re in a re-use process that’s going to take two and a half to three years,” he said. “We’re going to be taking away whatever leverage we have if we discontinue these roads.”

Mr. Moschetti said that discontinuing the roads may actually put the town in a better position to negotiate, prompting the state to repair what Mr. Moschetti described as substandard roads before the town would accept responsibility for them.

Still, others said the fight against the state would prove to be an uphill battle that would more than likely see the roads passed off to Templeton regardless of a Town Meeting vote.

“The fact that the town can in any way tell the state what to do is complete fantasy,” said Selectman Kenn Robinson, adding that Asset Management can pursue special legislation overriding the town’s vote to discontinue the roads, leaving the town stuck with repair and maintenance responsibilities.

In the meantime, the re-use process has slowed to a crawl, with members of the committee waiting for Asset Management to provide maps and information regarding the properties that will be decommissioned and available to the town for redevelopment.