Subject: R.I. commission holds first meeting on disputed border<br/>
Date: Dec 19, 2003 @ 16:08<br/>
Author: moc.il@li.com (moc.il@...)<br/>
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both sides in ctmari etc dispute looking lackadaisical<br/>
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R.I. commission holds first meeting on disputed border <br/>
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By RICHARD C. LEWIS<br/>
Associated Press Writer<br/>
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December 18, 2003, 7:13 PM EST<br/>
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- There was a call for surveyors rather than a call to arms Thursday, as a state legislative commission met to work on the long-standing border dispute with Connecticut. <br/>
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A dispute about the proper border between the states arose after a Connecticut town used new mapping technology to conduct its 2000 town revaluation. <br/>
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Each state has formed a legislative commission to pinpoint the boundary that runs from the mouth of the Ashaway River between Hopkinton and North Stonington, Conn., to the Massachusetts state line, a distance of about 65 miles. <br/>
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At its first meeting Thursday, the Rhode Island panel asked state transportation officials to recommend a technique to study the boundary, and to get land records from towns along the border in both states. <br/>
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Richard Fondi, who represents the state Department of Transportation on the Rhode Island commission, said the disputed territory is small. <br/>
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&quot;We don&#39;t believe it&#39;s widespread,&quot; he said. <br/>
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But the risk does lie most with Rhode Island, the nation&#39;s smallest state. <br/>
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If the border determined by North Stonington in its 2000 revaluation is adopted, Rhode Island would lose land. For now, the border is the result of an 1840 survey. That border was challenged by a joint commission of the two states in 1941, but the changes proposed at the time were never adopted. <br/>
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The current border is marked by granite posts, placed depending on when the states agreed to their location, said Kathy Cheteyan, an official in the DOT&#39;s survey section. About 13 of those markers are missing, or have been moved, complicating efforts to determine the exact boundary, she told the commission. <br/>
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The boundary question affects 12 residences and other parcels in the towns of North Stonington and Hopkinton. Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy, the commission&#39;s co-chairman whose district includes the disputed land, said Hopkinton could lose about $14,000 in either assessed value or local property tax revenue. <br/>
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&quot;In these tough fiscal times, I&#39;m sure our neighbors to the west would love to pick up&quot; the extra revenue, he said. <br/>
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Kennedy wants the border to remain where it is now. <br/>
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Once the panels complete their work, a joint commission would be formed to study their findings. Any agreement must be ratified by the states&#39; attorneys general. If they fail to agree, the dispute could go to the U.S. Supreme Court, legal officials in both states have said. <br/>
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Attorney General Patrick Lynch, also on the commission, called for a friendly tone in resolving the dispute, while emphasizing that it was a &quot;critical quality of life issue&quot; for residents in both states. <br/>
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In Hartford, the seven-member commission lacks appointments from the governor and the Senate majority leader, said Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who lobbied for its creation. He hopes the panel will meet before the Legislature convenes in February and that its findings will be issued before the session concludes in May. <br/>
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Blumenthal said the boundary should be close to what&#39;s been generally accepted and what&#39;s been in place &quot;for most of recent history.&quot; <br/>
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Asked if that means the border should be kept as is, he said, &quot;I will refrain from suggesting to the commission what the conclusions should be.&quot; <br/>
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Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press <br/>
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This article originally appeared at:<br/>
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ct--borderdispute1218dec18,0,723422.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire">http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ct--borderdispute1218dec18,0,723422.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire</a> <br/>
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