HARVARD — Still River Village resident Deborah Skauen-Hinchliffe has a message for those who would park in front of her home.
Simply put: Stay off the grass.
To communicate that point, she’s erected a screen of fiberglass reflectors along the roadside that are approximately one foot away from the pavement shoulder. While that’s likely to discourage cars from pulling onto the lawn, she said it’s creating friction with her neighbors at the Historical Society.
At issue is when the society host events and its patrons park along the roadside.
Skauen-Hinchliffe said her neighbors would like to see the screen come down because it forces curbside parkers further onto the pavement and creates a safety hazard. She said that the screen was erected to protect her lawn and there’s no plan to bring it down.
”They need to provide parking on their own property for their own occasions,” she said.
Historical Society President Maggie Green confirmed there has been correspondence between the two parties about the issue, but cautioned that the society was still doing its homework on the matter. Regardless, she said records show the screen almost certainly encroaches on the town right of way, which is considered public property.
”The fact of it is, her reflectors are on public property, and when people park there they are on public property,” she said.
With that being the case, Green said Skauen-Hinchliffe’s issues are with the town and not the Historical Society. On a related note, historical society director of buildings and grounds, Ted Maxant, who has conducted the majority of correspondence on this issue, said the only reference he made about the reflectors pertained to a couple near the property line, which he said may be on her property.
While he denied asking her to remove the reflectors and said it was her decision whether to do so, Maxant clearly indicated a preference that they be removed.
”We don’t have any parking lots, so people do have to park on the road,” he said. “Even though we respect Mrs. Hinchliffe’s rights, it’s not so much about parking on the lawn. That reflector program hinders people from opening their doors once they park.”
A call to town administrator Paul Cohen’s office suggested both sides could have a case.
He said parking is typically permitted within the road right-of-way, but there’s also an expectation the property involved will be respected.
In general, he said such complaints in small communities are typically resolved between the principals, but have been referred to the town in past, especially for safety or snow removal reasons.
Barring that, he said town action was unlikely.
”Unless there is some concern brought before the Board of Selectmen, the town is not likely to get involved,” he said.
As for Skauen-Hinchliffe, she acknowledged the reflectors are within the right-of-way, but said the measures she’s taken are common from residents who want to protect their lawns.
”If the town is going to make me take them down, they can make everyone else take theirs down,” she said.
