A year after it was temporarily closed to through traffic in 2015, the section of Harrison Avenue in front of the Adkins Company is again blocked off to vehicles.
Richard Holland of the Adkins Company says that if the town needs the section of road owned by the store it will have to buy it.
“I haven’t closed the road because I wanted to close the road,” he said. “I’ve closed it for a purpose. That purpose is the land is ours and we’ve not been offered an equitable price.”
Berlin Mayor Gee Williams, however, says the town shouldn’t have to buy a piece of road that’s been used by the public for decades.
“We shouldn’t have to seek eminent domain for a right of way that’s been in public use for generations,” Williams said.
Municipal officials and representatives of the Adkins Company have been in on-again, off-again communications regarding Harrison Avenue for years. While streets in Berlin are typically the responsibility of the town, the portion of Harrison Avenue in front of Adkins Company is considered part of the company’s four-acre property. According to Holland, the store has maintained the road for years. When town officials in 2015 asked the company to put up $37,500 toward the repaving of the street, however, Holland balked.
“Paving lasts 15 years at most,” he said. “Someone’s going to have to fight this fight again. Every other road in Berlin is paved by the Town of Berlin.”
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9 comments:
C'mon, guys, and put on your big boy pants. There are lots of options, including a longterm lease with conditions that benefit you both.
No dealing with the dictator mayor Williams. His way or no way. He has wasted so much money it is unbelievable. Keep everything hidden. Now you can't even see the purchase orders of buying like used to be done at meetings.
My question is who pays the taxes on that piece of property, and how does it affect the assessment for the whole parcel if the town enforces eminent domain??
The lawyers make out again, and the people lose..
9:17 people are to stupid and pig headed to put on big boy paints and work something out... I am for the Adkins company however, because the govt is and always will try to stick it to the man... I do find it funny, that the town or city will charge this company taxes on said land, the use said land and wants the owner to pave it at the cost of 35k or more??
IF the mayor wanted to use eminent domain, they would have done that already, it is just that simple... The fact that they haven't shows to me that perhaps, the current cost for said land they want to keep using, would have to be paid at current value of land and that could be more than what they offered... And the fact that the owner of the Adkins company said so...
IF I were the Adkins Company owner, I would say I do not want to pay land tax or city sewer or water fees for 10 years or longer... That in and of itself will help you along way because we all know, sewer and water fees never go down, only up...
Cow path road...
Not when one or both say "my way or the highway."
So I am going to need you to pay $37,500.00 to pave the road you own so I can use it for free. The audacity of government. Screw em. Drive around.
This kind of goofiness makes Berlin seem not so cool.
2 words... adverse possession.
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