The New Ipswich Conservation Commission is adding signage to five roads designated by petition as “scenic.”
The five roads are Currier Road from Route 123/124 to River Road, Old Country Road from River Road to the Taft/P.E. Realty Trust Boundary line, Old Country Road from Manley Road to River Road, Preston Hill Road from Old Country Road to Whirlpool Road and Timbertop Road from the intersection of Huse and Willard Farm roads to the Rindge town line.
“They want to maintain the status quo,” said Conservation Commission chairman Bob Boynton. “It’s like a freeze frame in time.”
The designation as a scenic road means any repair, maintenance, reconstruction or paving work done by the state or town, or any action taken by any utility – including poles, conduits, cables, wires, pipes or other structures – must be done without cutting, damage or removal of trees, or the tearing down or destruction of stone walls, without a hearing process and written approval of local officials.
Town and city streets, rural highways and unmaintained highways are eligible to be designated as scenic after a petition from10 people who are either voters of the town or who own land which abuts a road. Designation of a road as a scenic road does not, in most cases, affect the rights of any landowner to work on the property.
Boynton is preparing signs with information about each section. He hopes to include a scannable QR code where people can find more information about the scenic roads online. The Timbertop scenic road is near the historic Hampshire Country School area. The Currier and Old Country road areas are in the historic Bank Village area.
Earlier this year the town discovered one of these roads had ended up in the jurisdiction of the Planning Board and hope to add a warrant article this year transferring that road to Conservation Commission.
Signs will cost $25 each and 12 signs are needed.