Fish & Game Association member thinks something fishy is going on at Webster Lake

WEBSTER — The fate of coveted Fish & Game Association land around Webster Lake will have to wait at least another month, and one of the officers of the association doesn't understand why.

Special town meeting voters were scheduled to decide Monday if the town should give up any right it may have to more than 20 acres Fish & Game Association had received from the late Hector Patenaude in 1950 and 1976.

In exchange, Fish & Game had agreed to a 99-year conservation restriction that would preclude the association from subdividing or using the land around Webster Lake to build homes.

However, as soon as the article was brought up, Town Administrator John F. McAuliffe swiftly made a motion to send the article back for further study and, he said, likely, to reconsider the matter at June 16 special town meeting.

"At one point there was a reversionary right, if the fish and game cease to exist, then the town would have the right to take back some or all of that property," Mr. McAuliffe said. "There was a protectionary clause that they attached in 1976 that was not reported properly or not reported. So we're not sure if we have great standing if they were to cease to exist and if we tried to exercise our reversionary right."

James Piette, vice president of the association's board of directors, said he was "very frustrated" by Monday night's proceedings and felt he was "railroaded" by "back-door" politics.

"We had a meeting with our attorney and their attorney and it was agreed upon that the way the article would be written, the restriction would be lifted, the article being that we would not subdivide the land. There would be no other commercial or residential building on the property. It would remain as is," Mr. Piette said after the special town meeting.

Mr. Piette said he had no warning of the town administrator's intentions.

"I spoke to my attorney today (Monday). No warning. This is like back-door stuff to me. I feel like I've been railroaded to be honest," Mr. Piette said.

The annual town meeting scheduled to follow the special town meeting Monday night was postponed to 7 p.m. June 16 because some voters left after the land issue and the crowd was three voters shy of a quorum.

Contact Craig S. Semon at craig.semon@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @CraigSemon