Council Votes to Take Land at Governor’s Pk.

The Winthrop Town Council unanimously approved the town taking by eminent domain a parcel of land [two parking spaces] at Governor’s Park Condominium for the purpose of constructing a secondary road from Kennedy Drive, site of the Gorman/Fort Banks School and DPW headquarters.

The cost for the taking of the land will be $30,000. It will cost the town approximately $70,000 to build the new road whose use will be limited to emergency vehicles (police, fire, ambulance).

Town officials have considered building a secondary access road for the last decade to help alleviate the traffic problems that exist during school opening and dismissal times.

Town Council President Jeffrey Turco originally sought to get the access road built to help improve the traffic situation. He then modified his motion to have the road built for emergency vehicles’ access only. That motion passed by a 9-0 margin at a special town council meeting Thursday night.

Turco expects the new road to be in operation by the spring.

“It was important to get this road done,” said Turco. “I’ve said all along that it’s a public safety issue. It was clearly a compromise and the issue of traffic for the parents still needs to be resolved. That will have to be a fight for another day, but for now, we’ve permanently solved the public safety problem with respect to police, fire, and emergency vehicles for our schoolchildren, DPW workers, and residents in that area.”

Tuesday night Turco will preside over the final meeting of 2011 as council president. The meeting will also mark the conclusion of Precint Four Councilor Jeanne Maggio’s six years of service on the nine-member Town Council.

It is expected that both Turco and Maggio will make farewell comments and that some of their colleagues will offer personal tributes to their service on the Council.

Peter Gill will succeed Turco as president of the Council while Craig Mael will succeed Maggio in the councilor position.