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News Article Stockton squashes request for right to rename roads Written by Steve Fuller from The Republican Journal STOCKTON SPRINGS (June 25): Residents who attended the town's annual meeting June 20 voted down an article that would have given owners of any privately owned road the exclusive right to name or rename that road. The tally was 32 in favor, while 39 were opposed. Though supporters of the measure tried to keep discussion away from the continuing debate over the road formerly known as Squaw Point Road, that proved nearly impossible to do. The requisite motion and second to approve the article came from Dan Coulters and Lesley Cosmano, both members of the Squaw Point Association (SPA). Some members of the association have been arguing with selectmen for years over what name the road their association was originally named after should bear. At the center of that debate is a state law that designates certain words as offensive and also prohibits those words from being used in geographic place names. After making a series of small changes involving single letters and spaces, selectmen finally decided to rename the road Defence Point Road in 2007. This action did not sit well with some SPA members, who had lobbied to have the dirt road located on Cape Jellison renamed Squall Point Road. Since 2007, selectmen have rejected repeated requests to make such a change. Members of the association who supported the road renaming article had hoped to be able to make the change on their own, without the involvement of selectmen, if voters had approved the article. They ran into resistance early on, however. Jim Grossman, an SPA member who favored the Defence Point name, urged townspeople to vote down the article. He said he hoped it would be the final attempt by some of his neighbors to get the road name changed. Jim Nichols, a Sandy Point resident, recalled attending selectmen's meetings where the road name issue was debated and said the discussion had often been "very divisive." He said he would vote against the article based on the conduct of some of the SPA members. Lesley Cosmano stood and identified herself as the "one that's being blasted here today." She pointed out that there was no specific road or association name attached to the article, and she instructed people to "not read into it what isn't there." "This is guaranteeing a right," Cosmano said. "By voting no, you are saying you don't have a right to take care of what you own." SPA member Dan Coulters echoed Cosmano's position and said the article was about general freedoms rather than a particular person, people or group. Despite the efforts of Cosmano and Coulters to distance discussion from the ongoing debate over the controversial road, others returned to the subject. Rhonda Nichols said she had been embarrassed by all the negative attention the town had garnered as a result of the road name issue. Anne Spencer said the vote was a matter of "moral sense," and said she could not understand what she characterized as the "total insensitivity" of some SPA members to the concerns raised by members of the Native American community. When it came time for a vote, a request was made and approved to vote by written ballot. After a brief wait, the results of 32 in favor and 39 opposed were announced. The other hot-button issue at the town meeting proved to be funding for the town's recreation committee. At last year's annual meeting, voters had approved a budget for the committee that included funding for a part-time recreation director. That decision came after much debate, some of which resurfaced at this year's meeting. In particular, discussion centered around the $6,500 salary paid to Recreation Director Chelsea Herrick. Several people — while they said they were sure Herrick had done a great job — noted that she was being paid $3,000 more than Fire Chief Harry "Junior" Patterson, which they said didn't seem right. Others questioned how much grant writing Herrick had been able to do. Herrick acknowledged she had not been able to do as much grant writing as she had hoped, but said the recreation committee had their hands tied to some degree on that. She listed all the programs the recreation committee has sponsored in the past year, however, including multiple basketball and soccer teams, eight field trips and expanded services to Frankfort and Searsport children. Herrick said her job was designed to be a 10-hour-per- week position, but she often finds herself putting in 40 hours a week now. Attempts to cut Herrick's salary entirely, and later to reduce it to the same amount as the fire chief's, both failed and the article was approved as presented. Another amendment, designed to drop the recreation director's salary to $5,000 and raise the fire chief's salary to the same amount, was not addressed because the fire chief's salary had already been set in a previous article. In other business, Stockton voters: — Approved, without discussion, a six-month moratorium on wind power development in town. The ordinance will run through Dec. 17, and may be renewed for an additional 180 days by selectmen. If selectmen opt to do that, the moratorium would be in place until June 15, 2010. — After hearing a brief explanation from Selectman Peter Curley, but without debate or discussion, approved a land use ordinance and corresponding zoning map. — Approved allowing the fire and ambulance departments to use money from their operating accounts, as well as any private donations they may receive, to purchase a rescue boat that will be used by both departments. The warrant article noted the total amount is not to exceed $15,000, and that it will be a one-time expense. — Approved allowing selectmen to "study the feasibility of setting up a twice-a-year tax billing system." This would allow residents to essentially split their tax bill in two, paying each half by a specific date. — Approved raising and appropriating $82,544 for "waste disposal services" without any debate or discussion, prompting moderator Stu Marckoon to comment, "Nobody wants to talk trash this morning." The Republican Journal Reporter Steve Fuller can be reached at 207-338-3333 or by e-mail at sfuller@villagesoup.com.

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