Montville - Seventeen years after it mistakenly abandoned Maynard Road, the town is cautiously considering its options for reinstating the road.

The Democrats will discuss the issue during their next caucus and hopefully take it to the full council in the near future, said Councilor Chuck Longton at a Public Works/Solid Waste Standing Committee meeting Wednesday.

In 1995, when the owners of a small shopping center at the intersection of Routes 163 and 82 filed a request with the town asking to abandon "a small portion" of Maynard Road that abutted the center, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plan and recommended the abandonment to the Town Council.

Although the PZC recommended abandoning the southernmost 238 feet of the road, a motion to abandon the entire road passed during a town meeting in February 1996.

Since that time, the eight families living on the northern part of Maynard Road haven't received town services such as snow plowing, and emergency vehicles have difficulty locating their homes.

On Wednesday, Longton said he and council Chairman Joseph Jaskiewicz had discussed the issue with Town Attorney Matthew Auger. The Democrats should fine-tune the wording of a motion to abandon only the southernmost portion of Maynard Road, said Longton, and let Auger review the motion before putting it on a Town Council agenda.

Auger will contact the owners of property abutting Maynard Road about the proposed changes and take care of any other legal issues, Longton said. Then, if the council votes in favor of the motion, the proposal to reinstate the road can be sent to a town meeting.

Longton said the town is taking pains to make sure every detail of the process is correct this time around.

"We just want to fix the mistake," he said.

k.catalfamo@theday.com