Town delays hearing on abandoning road

The Town Board has rescheduled a public hearing for March 26 on a proposal to abandon the 600-foot West Miller Road, which has been unused and left in disrepair.

The hearing will start at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall, 80 E. Market St.

The public hearing that had been scheduled for Monday could not be conducted because not enough advance notice was provided.

“We made an error in the noticing for a qualified abandonment of West Miller Road,” town Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia said. “The public needs 20 days notice, and there’s only been 14.”

The town is looking to discontinue maintenance of the road — which is off Route 308, just east of Route 9G — without closing to people who use it for access to the Landsman Kill creek.

Town Attorney Warren Replansky said earlier this month said the town wants to abandon the road using a section of law that allows some public use.

“Instead of totally abandoning the road we have decided to utilize the provisions of Section 205-2 of the [state] Highway Law, which is a qualified abandonment,” he said. “It applies to properties which ... are not totally been abandoned but have not been utilized for the past two years.”

Town officials say they do not know how long it has been since West Miller Road has been maintained.

Town resident Joe Ely, who intended to comment during the planned public hearing on Monday, said Rhinebeck should “just declare it a seasonal road so the town doesn’t have to plow it or pave it.”