NEWRY — A parking crunch at Step Falls caused disagreement at Tuesday night’s selectmen meeting between the Planning Board and selectmen over who has authority to fix the problem.
The popular recreation area, which features a hiking trail to waterfalls on Wight Brook and carved pools in granite, attracts hundreds of visitors in the summer. When the small parking area off Route 26 is full, vehicles line up along the side of the narrow road, posing a hazard.
There are “No Parking” signs erected by the state and “No Trespassing” signs put up by private landowners.
The 24-acre Step Falls Preserve is owned by Mahoosuc Land Trust, which has admitted overuse of the property and has expressed a desire to fix the parking and trespassing issue.
According to Planning Board member Brooks Morton, a representative of Mahoosuc Land Trust approached him in an unofficial setting and asked for the Planning Board’s assistance in fixing the problem. Morton told him it would be a board decision, so Mahoosuc members attended a Planning Board meeting to request help.
The Planning Board advised that the trust submit a site plan review application and that expanding the parking lot into the shoreland zone was not an option.
Mahoosuc Land Trust also reached out to other organizations, such as the Maine Department of Transportation and the Board of Selectmen.
Selectmen speculated whether the Planning Board had authority to act, even if the Land Trust submitted an application, which they are unwilling do to. Selectmen said local law enforcement is responsible to enforce the no parking rules and game wardens are responsible to enforce the no trespassing rules.
Selectman Jim Largess insisted that because Mahoosuc Land Trust is making an effort to correct the parking situation, no application to the Planning Board is necessary. It’s up to law enforcement to make sure the state’s and landowners’ signs are taken seriously, he said.
The argument was put on the back burner when Code Enforcement Officer David Bonney suggested that the Planning Board and selectmen seek legal counsel to see if the Planning Board’s involvement is necessary and if it has authority to demand an application, and to see if Mahoosuc Land Trust is doing everything it needs to do.
emeisner@sunmediagroup.net
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