The Roads & Right of Way Committee met Feb. 18 by videoconference and pressed town staff to clarify whether the committee will remain an advisory body to the Select Board or be placed under Department of Public Works oversight, and reviewed a trimmed list of potential road takings and easement matters.

Committee members raised concerns after members said they were told informally that the committee’s responsibilities might be folded under DPW. “We serve at the pleasure of the Select Board. We don’t work under the auspices of town manager. We don’t work for any town departments,” member Bill (chair) said, urging that any change be directed by the Select Board. Tracy McDonald, identified at the meeting as a real estate specialist, said she had discussed the issue with staff that morning and that there is overlap among DPW enforcement, traffic-safety matters and the committee’s historic duties.

Why it matters: The committee has long reviewed paper roads, walking-path easements and historic encroachments and has previously recommended road takings to preserve access and public safety. Members said uncertainty about which town office directs takings and encroachment enforcement could reduce the committee’s ability to advise on reconveyances, easement reservations and preservation of pedestrian access.

At the meeting Tracy McDonald described how some recent takings work she processes involves reservations of pedestrian easements recorded in deeds, and that many pending takings are driven by private homeowners or associations seeking town maintenance for roads originally created as private ways. “A lot of these homeowners associations that were created in the nineties have expired now, and they’re left sort of hanging with how they maintain their roadways,” McDonald said.

Committee members reviewed roads and places raised as current items of interest: Squam Road and Millbrook Road (both previously controversial and subject to written agreements limiting improvements), Wind Street (discussed as part of a bicycle connection), Quidnet Road (a partly public, partly private route), Stone Alley and Franklin Street (historic ways with incomplete records), and several others including Appleton, Amelia Drive and Meter (each cited as examples of takings or maintenance questions). Members emphasized that some takings are narrowly scoped — for easements only — and that others would require public hearings before the Select Board or, in some cases, county commissioners.

Members asked staff to bring the committee into any planning discussions early, rather than delivering decisions by informal notice. “I don’t like hearing that this discussion’s already been going on, and that’s where we’re gonna end up,” one member said.

The committee also heard an update on archival materials for the committee web page and brief discussion about a locally authored book on island public ways. Member Lee Saperstein said he found the out-of-print Frank Katunian book available on Amazon for about $9.95 and suggested buying copies for the public library; Tracy McDonald and other members noted the book’s full text also appears on the town website.

Formal actions taken during the meeting were limited to routine administrative matters: the committee approved its December minutes and later voted to adjourn. The committee set a March meeting (Zoom) and asked members to submit agenda items; suggested topics included the Pleasant Street traffic experiment, railroad-rights historic review and rocks in the travelway on Eel Point Road.

The committee also introduced Robert Bostrowski, who McDonald described as a real-estate specialist newly assigned to work with her. Members welcomed Bostrowski and said they expect him to attend future meetings as staff support.

What’s next: Members asked McDonald and town staff to clarify the formal reporting lines for the committee and to circulate a short background packet ahead of the next meeting on takings that the committee might want to review formally. McDonald said she would meet with other town staff the following day and then follow up with the committee.

No changes to committee governance were adopted at the Feb. 18 meeting; members requested—and staff committed to—formal clarification from the Select Board or the town manager before implementation of any structural change.