Voters ask to keep Mitchelltown open

SHARON — There were three items on the agenda for the special town meeting Friday, Dec. 17, and at least two of them sparked enough interest among town residents that the Town Hall meeting room was filled to overflowing.

The meeting lasted just under one hour.

Hawkers and peddlers

The first item on the agenda was a proposed amendment to the town’s Hawkers and Peddlers Ordinance.

All of the five sections of the original ordinance remained untouched, but town residents voted unanimously to add a sixth section that defines which hours are appropriate for vendors to sell things door-to-door or on the public streets.

The ordinance now specifies that all hawking and peddling must be done Monday through Saturday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

First Selectman Bob Loucks explained that recently there had been incidents of students going door-to-door to sell books and that they had been coming by later than residents  liked.

“Some of the hours got pretty late. They were knocking on doors at 8:30, 9 p.m.,� Loucks said.

Cemetery funds

The second item on the agenda regarded the transfer of ownership of the East Side Cemetery from the town to a nonprofit organization called Sharon East Side Cemetery, Inc.

The transfer will also include a sum of $226,000, which is now in a trust account at Salisbury Bank that the town set up for maintaining the cemeteries.

Sharon East Side Cemetery, Inc. was founded by a group of Sharon residents who have family members in the cemetery in question, and felt that the town was not properly maintaining the cemetery.

The cemetery, which had originally been privately owned by two women, was turned over to the town in 1984, along with any money the women had set aside for repairs and maintenance.

Over the years, there had been concerns that those funds were being used to care for other cemeteries in town and that the East Side Cemetery was not being cared for properly.

Glenn Dennis, a representative from the group, said that, “We would like to take the cemetery back and make it private again.�

Brent Prindle, while supportive of the cemetery’s transfer, voiced concerns that no new plots at the cemetery would be sold. He said that new people coming in and buying plots would keep the cemetery flourishing.

The majority of voters approved the transfer of the cemetery to Sharon East Side Cemetery, with only a handful of people opposing the transfer.

Mitchelltown Road

The third item on the agenda regarded ownership of Mitchelltown Road, which has been closed since 2009 because a small bridge on the road is in disrepair.

In December 2009, James Metz, who owns houses and property on Mitchelltown Road, offered to purchase the section of the road that borders his property (including the unrepaired bridge) for a sum of $500,000.

The road, which is often used as an alternate way to access Route 4, would then be closed  to the public.

In January 2010, the Board of Selectmen voted not to accept Metz’ offer.

Metz then went to Nova Scotia for the summer, and Loucks was unable to get in touch with him to discuss plans (and get permission) to enter his property to repair the bridge.

On Oct. 13, 2010, the issue was taken to the Planning and Zoning Commission, where Metz’ offer was again voted down.

Metz then asked if the issue could be taken to town meeting, saying that if town residents recommended that the town keep the road, he would back down and allow the town to enter his property to repair the bridge.

The vote was listed on the agenda “advisory.� It was not a formal town meeting vote.

There was no representative from Metz Family Enterprises LLC present at the meeting.

After a comment session that lasted for about 20 minutes, the town voted unanimously, 89-0, to recommend to the Board of Selectmen that the town keep Mitchelltown Road.