These issues were discussed at the Feb. 27 meeting of the Paris Board of Selectmen:

Post office

Selectmen had planned on taking a position on the proposed closing of the Paris Hill post office, but opted not to take a position as the deadline for comments passed on Feb. 23. A posting says the United States Postal Service is considering the feedback received from local residents in recent months.

If the Postal Service approves the proposal to close the post office, any Paris Hill post office customer can appeal the decision to the Postal Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C.

“I think that kind of takes it off our table,” Selectman Ted Kurtz said.

Cornwall Preserve

A proposal to give 1.13 acres of the Cornwall Nature Preserve to the Hillside Cemetery has gone to the town’s attorney. At the  meeting, Calvin Woodworth said he was opposed to it, because it would violate Alice Cornwall’s deed. The deed said the land couldn’t be subdivided and no tall trees could be cut on the property.

Franca Ainsworth of the Conservation Committee said she could see both sides, but argued that subdividing the preserve could set a bad precedent. The Hillside Cemetery Association is seeking 1.13 acres of the 147-acre preserve to use for extra cemetery space. Selling additional lots would give the cemetery more capital to maintain the cemetery where Cornwall herself is buried.

Cornwall’s five children have all given approval to sign over the parcel of land.

Early ending

Two weeks after a meeting that lasted nearly four hours, the board finished its meeting in just under an hour. Chairman Robert Kirchherr was in such a hurry to end the meeting by 8 p.m. that he nearly skipped two minor agenda items before selectmen pointed them out. The meeting was adjourned at 7:59 p.m.

treaves@sunjournal.com