Close vote on plan to discontinue part of Surdan Mountain Road

SHARON — At a special town meeting on Friday, June 25, an ordinance was passed — by a slim margin — to discontinue a 600-foot section of Surdan Mountain Road, which is a small road near the Housatonic River and the historic Covered Bridge in West Cornwall.

The ordinance passed by a vote of 16 to 13. It discontinues the portion of the road from what had been previously discontinued (at the intersection of Cesar Road in 1993) to the intersection of Stone Hill Lane.

The vote followed 35 minutes of often-heated debate.

Mort Klaus, who lives at 13 Surdan Mountain Road, had asked the Board of Selectmen to discontinue the road near his property at a selectmen’s meeting held earlier this year.

“We will maintain the road at no additional cost to the town,� Klaus said. “We will do whatever is necessary to keep it open to emergency vehicles. It’s a win-win situation. If there’s anything else that people would like us to do, we will consider it.�

First Selectman Bob Loucks said a 40 foot by 40 foot turnaround at the end of the active section of the road will be constructed so town trucks can turn around when they are plowing snow.

“Back in 1993, we discontinued 12 different roads in parts of Sharon, roads that have not been used for many years,� Loucks said. “The challenge for this road is that [the town] has been going down and turning around in his yard [with snow plows]. This is just 600 feet of road [being discontinued]. This way, we don’t have to disturb anything in his driveway.�

Selectman John Mathews told the audience he supported the resolution.

“This came up when we looked at recreational easements,� Mathews said. “It’s pretty much his driveway anyway and if we want to maintain the road we are going to have to spend a lot of money. It’s his driveway, why should we maintain it? The recreational easement will still be there.�

Russel Purdy, who lives at 2 Surdan Mountain Road, argued against passing the ordinance.

“The only reason the road is in an inaccessible condition is because when you come in where the town roadway is, because they [Klaus] have been dumping stuff there,� Purdy said. “They’re dumping material into the roadway to make it inaccessible. Whether it’s on purpose or not I wouldn’t want to say.

“Why should we change this to make it convenient for them?�

Brian Ellsmore, who lives at 10 Surdan Mountain Road, also argued against the ordinance.

“They want to erect a 40-by-40-foot parking lot across the street from my residence, and they started already, without getting permits,� Ellsmore said. “All traffic will turn around at my house and [the Prindle] house. This is going to wreak havoc in front of my house, and I’m trying to sell my house. This will affect me dramatically. This is a perfectly maintained town road.�

Despite the opposition of the neighbors, the ordinance passed, narrowly.

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