North Stonington — A decadeslong practice of plowing, paving and maintaining private roads — from Patricia Avenue in Blue Lake to Avery Lane in the village — may come to an end this year, as selectmen on Tuesday began discussing ending the practice.

About a dozen residents from Patricia Avenue attended the Board of Selectmen meeting to express concern about taking on the responsibility after so many years, and the difficulty of keeping it clear during storms.

First Selectman Shawn Murphy said that working on certain private roads in town and not others has been a debate in town government for years and has "long been put off." 

"I wanted to get it addressed and make a decision one way or another," he said.

With the Board of Finance's decision to cut about $90,000 from the highway department in materials and labor, he said the town needs to look at prioritizing the roads it maintains.

In the case of Patricia Avenue specifically, which has 18 year-round homes along the roughly 0.6 miles the town maintains, the road is owned by the Blue Lake Tax District, which maintains the nearby dam.

Unlike roads that are deeded to the town, privately owned roads are not eligible for state aid.

Selectman Nick Mullane acknowledged that Patricia Avenue is in relatively good shape, unlike many of the other private roads in the area.

The town could accept the deed to road, he said, but that is generally costly.

"Roads are expensive: they're not an asset, they're a liability," Mullane said.

However, some residents assumed the long-held practice of town maintenance would continue when they bought their homes, said Bill Hixson of the Blue Lake Tax District.

The town had been maintaining the road since the 1960s, according to a letter Hixson had from the former owner of the road and dam, Hugo Colombi, who sold them to the tax district.

"What we would like to do is request that maintenance of Patricia Avenue continue ... whether it's grandfathered (in)" or accepted by the town, Hixson said.

Hiring a contractor if the town ceases maintenance would be "a major undertaking," he added.

Residents compared Patricia Avenue and its year-round homes with other private roads in the area that have seasonal residences.

"I would love to see the town step up and take responsibility, which I think they should have done 10 years ago," said resident Richard Anderson, who lives at 62R Patricia Ave.

Most private roads in town are not maintained.

Murphy generated a list of private roads that showed in the Blue Lake neighborhood, only Patricia Avenue is graveled, graded and plowed, while the rest are plowed only in emergencies.

At Billings Lake, Billings Road Extension is maintained and Cedars Road is plowed, while the rest are plowed only in emergencies.

Armstrong Pentway occasionally is provided material but is plowed last, according to the list.

Other roads — such as Avery Lane, next to the Old Town Hall, and Princess Lane — are paved and plowed, while Cranberry Bog Road and Wright's Road are graveled, graded and plowed.

The Congregational Church and First Baptist Church lots are plowed, as well.

There was some discussion during the meeting about whether or not homes on private roads receive a tax break because the roads aren't maintained by the town.

Tax Assessor Darryl Delgrosso said private roads do not directly impact a home's assessment; rather, a private road in a certain neighborhood may be desirable or undesirable to the market, and that will be reflected in the assessment.

Murphy said the issue likely will be discussed again at the selectmen's July 27 meeting.

"We need to talk about it, and I think that's consistent with what the taxpayers are asking: how we're spending town dollars and how we allocate monies," Selectman Mark Donahue said. "I think it's in everyone's best interest."

n.lynch@theday.com