Montville — The Public Works/Solid Waste Standing Committee on Wednesday voted to send updated information on Maynard Road to the Town Council, hoping that body will vote to abandon the southernmost portion of the road.

The recommendation is in response to a 1996 vote — an action that Public Works Committee Chairman Chuck Longton believes is illegal and non-binding — by the Town Council to abandon the entirety of Maynard Road.

The council could not legally abandon the entire road, said Longton, because the Planning and Zoning Commission only ecommended abandoning a small portion of the road that abutted a vacant shopping center. But the council attempted to abandon the entire road, leaving it without town services and off of town maps.

Maynard Road resident Lynda Jean has advocated for the eight families on the road for more than a decade, asking Montville to admit and correct its mistake.

The committee's recommendation comes after months of discussion with the town attorney, town engineer and Planning and Zoning Commission, according to Longton. He said that, because the council did not act correctly in 1996, Maynard Road is still officially a town road, and all the current Town Council needs to do is officially abandon the southern part of the road as originally intended.

Whether the town will be legally required to bring the road — which is narrow, winding and mostly unpaved - up to current standards remains "an open question," said Longton.

Public Works Director Don Bourdeau estimates that bringing the road up to current standards would cost approximately $167,000.

k.catalfamo@theday.com