By Rob Sample
People in towns further upstate or in rural Vermont often refer to spring as “mud season.” Similarly, each March, a drive along Brewster’s Maple Road also becomes a slog through axle-deep mud.
On March 6, residents who live in that area attended the Southeast Town Board meeting to voice their complaints. Many live on neighboring streets, and Maple Road provides the only way to and from their homes. While many said they like living in such a bucolic environment, they also said driving conditions are dangerous and unpleasant.
“Maple Road is the last dirt road in town,” noted Southeast Town Supervisor Nick Durante. “We are going to do something to make it better and safer, but we aren’t yet sure what that will be.”
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Durante encouraged residents to speak up to bring the situation to the attention of the state’s Department of Transportation and possibly make Maple Road a candidate for state grant money. He cautioned, however, that the state tends to prioritizes towns with lower average household incomes for such funds.
For Nicole Fennell, who lives on adjoining Enoch Crosby Road, the situation could be life-threatening.
“I have a child with anaphylactic allergy, and we only have one access road in and out,” she said. “We’ve been lucky in never needing to use EMS services, but as a parent of a child with allergies, that is always an unknown. The state of our road is very concerning for our family because you really can’t get out at more than 9 miles an hour. EMS would have trouble getting in as well.”
Fennell suggested the town conduct research to see if specialized grants are available for families in her situation. “But we also want to make it safe for everybody,” she said.
Another Enoch Crosby Road resident, Jamie Callahan, said the road can be hazardous at other times besides spring.
“It is not just a drainage issue,” she said. “In the dry heat of the summer you can still skid out – and I’m not talking about going 40 miles per hour. You can skid out on a turn when you’re doing 25 miles an hour.”
Another neighborhood resident said surfacing the road with asphalt millings would provide a cost-effective alternative to pavement. Millings are chunks of used asphalt, which are crushed and spread along a dirt road to provide a durable surface and improve drainage.
“Pumphouse Road had millings put down on it when I was 6 years old,” he said. “I’m 50, so 44 years ago we had a dirt road, put millings down, it stuck, and it worked. We also did Nichols Road and part of Reservoir Road. That cost should be explored.”
Any road fix would involve a host of issues, Durante pointed out. “We have to fix the guard rail at $75 a foot,” he noted. “That rail is pretty long. So these are some of the things we’re looking at.”
Some suggested the proximity of the reservoir may create special challenges, despite the fact that there are other bodies of water nearby, including the large Croton Falls Reservoir, that have not been impacted by road work.
“The sides of every other reservoir are paved around,” noted resident Kathy Farrell, who volunteered to assist with project research. “I think there should be someone involved in each one of these things who will dedicate their time, and I’m happy to do that.”
“I’ve been hearing about this ever since I moved here,” added Sal Romano of Deer Court. “I understand there is a drainage issue, but I also think there’s an issue with visibility while the climate is dry and it’s super hot. As a parent of two young kids, I love being here. But the safety concern is a lot.”
Durante said he intends to convene a meeting dedicated to the Maple Road issue – including data gathered thus far on road conditions and the exploration of available solutions – which he said will be well communicated in advance.
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