By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—The unpaved stretch of Carver Street from the railroad crossing to the bridge that separates Brandon and Pittsford can often be a depressing sight with debris scattered everywhere. It’s been an illegal dumping ground for years. Every Green-Up Day results in dozens of discarded tires pulled from the roadside. Old mattresses molder half-submerged in the water. Recently, the state obligated Brandon to extract a giant mess of roofing shingles from Otter Creek at a cost of $800 in disposal fees, not to mention the time paid to town employees.
Perhaps the solution is to close that portion of the road to vehicular traffic. At least that’s the approach being considered by Brandon’s town management.
Technically, Carver Street is designated as a Class 3 town highway, which is defined by the state as a minor road that is navigable by regular automobiles in all seasons. However, Brandon Town Manager Seth Hopkins is exploring the possibility of re-classifying Carver to allow the town to restrict vehicular access to town employees and adjacent landowners. The public could still walk and bicycle on the closed portion, but pickups full of debris would no longer be able to get down there.
“The goal is to deter litter and dumping,” said Mr. Hopkins in an email to The Reporter. “And to avoid the Town spending material and staff and equipment hours to bring in more gravel and regrade the road periodically, especially after it is overtopped seasonally and material is washed away.”
Moreover, according to Mr. Hopkins, the town does not maintain the road in navigable condition all year. The road is not plowed and is often closed in mud season to avoid vehicles getting stuck.
The decision would not affect only Brandon, however. When Carver crosses Otter Creek, about 1.5 miles south of the railroad tracks, Brandon becomes Pittsford and Carver becomes Syndicate Road. So, Mr. Hopkins approached Pittsford Town Manager David Atherton, who had been Brandon’s town manager for years and knows the road well, to gauge Pittsford’s reaction to the proposal.
Mr. Atherton brought the matter to the Pittsford Selectboard on Wednesday, October 16. The Board expressed concern about closing a connection between the two towns but did not immediately shoot down the idea. Mr. Atherton consulted with Pittsford’s Highway Department and later informed Mr. Hopkins that the Highway Chief did not object to the plan.
“My concern is that Brandon close the road at the end of the bridge,” said Mr. Atherton. The bridge over Otter Creek is owned by Brandon. “We don’t want people just driving up there and piling trash on the bridge.”
Even if Pittsford raises no objections, the proposal would still have to be approved by VTrans and by Brandon’s own Selectboard, which has not yet had public discussions of the idea.
“There will be Selectboard consideration and action at a public meeting, and likely a site visit, before any reclassification is attempted,” wrote Mr. Hopkins. “We anticipate working with VTrans on possibilities and with the Town of Pittsford on safe turnaround and access spots.” The turnaround is necessary to allow drivers to return down Syndicate Road when they reach the closure at the bridge.
Mr. Hopkins has already spoken with adjacent landowners, who did not raise any objections.
“If there were opposition or even hesitation/reservation expressed during that process, we would likely not be advancing the concept further,” he wrote. “Other classifications that would retain town ownership and public access while eliminating the environmental damage, property damage, and adverse economic impact on taxpayers’ funds would be prudent.”
“We will work with VTrans next regarding lawful options and then bring this to the Selectboard.”
