Road conditions irritate Sumner residents

SUMNER —  A handful of complaints from residents about winter road conditions were heard by selectmen during their meeting Tuesday. 

Citizens complained some roads including Tuell Hill Road, Labrador Pond Road and Black Mountain Road were icy or inadequately sanded or plowed.

Resident Walter Jasniewski said the intersection of Tuell Hill Road and Route 219 is icy due to some flooding caused by logging and wondered whether a berm could be constructed to hold back the water. 

"It's pretty icy on that corner," he told selectmen. 

Another resident, George Affleck, complained of poor snow removal in front of his home on Labrador Pond Road during the February 16 snow storm. 

In the past, he said, snow has been plowed about four feet onto his property from the edge of the road. During the snow storm, Affleck said, the plow truck driver pushed snow back an additional four feet and "destroyed" his yard.

"He was going further than he ever had before," Affleck said. "I just want to know who is going to repair it?" he asked selectmen. He said the plow left an 8-inch-deep gash in his lawn. 

"If you are coming up from Greenwood Road, you can see that he is right along the edge, then all of a sudden, he goes into my yard," Affleck said. 

Selectwoman Kelly Stewart said she saw the problem first-hand, and based on the damage, could tell the plow was too wide for that section of road. "There's just not enough space," she said. 

Affleck said he hopes his lawn can be fixed by spring. Chairwoman Mary Ann Haxton said selectmen would request the driver to repair the lawn. 

Another resident complained of inadequate plowing and sanding on Black Mountain Road. She worried that it would cause poor access by ambulances and other responders in the event of an emergency. 

"They are supposed to plow it and leave it on the tote road and they are not," she said. "They are dumping it in the driveway."

In addition, "they aren't putting any sand up there," she said. "I am really concerned." 

Road Commissioner Jim Keach said that he received a call around 9 p.m. the night of the snow storm, February 23, that some of Sumner's roads were "only half plowed" and there was ice underneath the snow, causing unfavorable driving conditions. 

Keach said he would see that the issues get fixed. 

Keach reported that the roads were posted February 20 and will be until May 17, when the ground thaws. 

In other news, the board: 

• Appointed Richard Estes as a full-time member of the planning board. 

• Reported that a blood pressure clinic is being held at the town office on March 2 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.