The roads around Melendy Pond in Brookline have fallen into disrepair as the town refuses residents' maintenance requests. Courtesy image/Google Maps

BROOKLINE – When Robert Nutter needed an ambulance one winter, he was concerned that paramedics would not be able to reach him as the town had not plowed his road.

“I contacted the Department of Public Works and requested that Seventh Street be plowed,” he said in a recent affidavit.

However, Nutter, who has lived on Melendy Pond for 27 years, said his request fell on deaf ears.

“The road maintenance at Melendy Pond is generally very poor,” he said. “In the winter months, plowing is minimal. In the summer, needed repairs are delayed for extended periods of time.”

If he were forced to leave his home, Nutter would have nowhere else to go.

“The constant uncertainty about the future of my home at Melendy Pond has had a direct and significant impact on my life and health,” he said.

Nutter said the situation has caused his anxiety to skyrocket. He said it has become so pronounced that he has been discussing the matter with his physician at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Milford.

In addition, Nutter said he invested approximately $12,000 to build a new kitchen and another $9,000 to have a well put in.

“I undertook these improvements in reliance on representations that lease renewals would always be possible,” he said.

In 2022, Nutter received a letter from then-Town Administrator Tad Putney stating that Nutter owed three years of back rent totaling $8,665 in addition to a $1,000 “delayed signing fee” for a new lease. However, with a fixed retirement income of $1,000 per month, it was impossible for Nutter to cover the outstanding rental costs. He ended up requiring state assistance to settle the debt.

Thomas LaRochelle, a resident of 4 Seventh St. since 1987, was evicted by the town last month.

When he purchased his home, the now-defunct Melendy Pond Authority told his bank and insurance company that he qualified for a 30-year mortgage. He was also told that his lease would always be renewed.

Regarding maintenance, LaRochelle said Seventh Street was graded once a year by the Melendy Pond Authority. Any further needs fell on the residents.

During his 39 years on the pond, LaRochelle spent more than $200,000 to improve his home. He also made an offer to buy the property; however, the town refused to entertain his offer.