By Alex Malm
One of the agenda items during the Sept. 23 Londonderry Heritage Commission meeting was in regards to the naming of the Exit 4A Connector Road.
Heritage Commission Vice Chairman Arthur Rugg said that they have to name the road and that Londonderry and Derry both would have to agree on it. If they don’t agree on a name then the DOT would come up with one. The reason why they said it’s important to come up with a name now is because they want to include it in the plans for Exit 4.
It was explained that Derry’s Heritage Commission and Town Council recommended the names Ulster Scots Parkway and MacGregor Parkway, however the 911 Commission said that MacGregor Parkway wouldn’t be allowed because it sounds too much like MacGregor Cut which is located in Londonderry.
One name that was proposed by Town Council Liaison Jim Butler was Saint’s Way to honor the St. Germain family, who have been longtime residents in Londonderry.
Another proposed name came from Ann Chiampa, a member of the Londonderry Historical Society.
Her proposal was to name it Old Rum Trail, which is a road that spanned through Derry, Londonderry and other communities, or Rosecrans Road, which would be named in honor of Rosecrans Pillsbury who has historical roots in both Londonderry and Derry.
The Heritage Commission decided to submit Old Rum Trail and Rosecrans Road to the Town Council as two suggestions for the road’s name. If the DOT doesn’t accept Old Rum Trail they would recommend Rosecrans Road as an option for the road name.
Both names were proposed to the Town Concil last week by Chiampa where they asked the Town Manager Kevin Smith to bring it to Derry as a possible name.
Also during the Commission meeting it was explained by Rugg that they got an email from Smith, who told them that the two pine trees near the corner of Mammoth Road and Pillsbury Road are dead or are dying and need to come down soon. This was determined based on an arborist’s report.
It was explained that the Commission needs to make a decision if they want anything to be planted in their place and if so what they want to put there.
One resident, Ray Breslin asked if they had any particular diseases or if they were dying due to a different reason. He also said that he thought they are a different type of tree other than a pine tree.
It was ultimately decided that they would wait until they get the report at the next meeting so they can review it before making a decision on what to do next.