OTISFIELD — A firetruck may be the key to convincing some Shore Road property owners that an emergency vehicle access problem exists.

“Prove it,” demanded Bonnie Jackson, a Shore Road summer resident and vocal opponent of “no parking” signs erected by the board to keep cars from parking in the street.

On Aug. 7, the Board of Selectmen will decide when the firetruck will be driven to the intersection of Shore and Silvaqua roads to demonstrate why they and others believe there is a problem getting firetrucks and other emergency vehicles through the intersection and down the dirt road.

The long-standing issue between some summer residents of Shore Road and town officials recently escalated when Jackson and her son-in-law, a local lawyer from Bridgton, threatened “further action” if the issue was not resolved to their satisfaction. They claim the “no parking signs” erected by the town to prevent what officials say is an unsafe congestion of cars, are unnecessary and forcing them to park in “dangerous” places.

Attorney Greg Braum told the board in June that the parking ban has become an inconvenience to the residents and asked that the signs be taken down to let people park where they always have. He charged the board with failing to research, document and allow public input for the ban.

Although selectmen say “no parking” signs have been there since the 1980s, the town installed more signs at the intersection of Shore and Silvaqua roads last fall because of concerns by other summer residents that the congestion of cars could cause accidents. Most signs have been removed by an unknown person or people, including new 7-foot-tall signs posted last fall.

In December, the board adopted a parking ordinance to enforce the signs.

The issue arose when Phil Cornelivson, a summer resident of Otisfield, told the board last October that he was concerned about vehicles parking at the intersection and creating a safety hazard if there was a structure fire.

“If we have a structure fire, there are two dozen homes on the north end of that junction,” Cornelivson old the board, according to the minutes of the meeting. “If firetrucks need to haul water through that junction, we are in trouble.”

Board of Selectmen Chairman Hal Ferguson, a resident of Shore Road, said the road was designed for two vehicles to pass and, as long as there are no cars parked along the road, two cars can pass.

Firefighters have attested they have trouble getting to emergency scenes.

Firefighter Herb Olson recently told the board that he tried to make the turn onto Shore Road with a firetruck and had trouble. “I tried to make the turn. I could not do it. I had to back up three times. There just isn’t enough room to make the turn. There’s no alternate route,” he said.

ldixon@sunjournal.com

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