Council reclassifies Morse Road stretch as Class A municipal trail, bars wheeled vehicles

The Lebanon City Council on Sept. 6 voted unanimously to reclassify Class 6 Road Number 44 — the easterly segment from Morse Road toward Meriden Road shown in the city’s draft Class 6 roads map — to a Class A municipal trail as defined by RSA 2:31‑A. The motion, made by Councilor Ford Burley and seconded by Councilor Fonts, limits permitted travel to foot, skis and snowshoes and prohibits motor and wheeled vehicles while expressly preserving vehicular uses by abutting landowners for existing access as allowed by state statute.

Planning staff described the committee’s evidentiary review during the public hearing, pointing to historic layout descriptions and map work (including exercises by Torbit and city historians) as strong support for asserting these segments as public right‑of‑way. “If you read the layout description … you would come up with a line like that,” the planning presenter said, summarizing the layout‑based mapping work. Residents and committee members who testified stressed trail value for walking loops and the need to protect the corridor from off‑road vehicles; abutters asked about practical implications where private features (like a septic field) lie in the mapped right‑of‑way.

Councilors clarified that reclassification does not itself obligate immediate city maintenance or create new parking, and that volunteer or city permission is required before any work in a public right‑of‑way. The motion also instructs the public works director to post legible signage at trail entrances “as appropriate” to describe restrictions and help guide public expectations. The reclassification passed by roll call vote; staff said signage, passability and any future maintenance plans will be addressed after the classification is final.