The final agenda item of last Thursday evening's Planning Board meeting proved to be the most contentious.

Board members discussed the outstanding conditions and problems accruing to the Highlawn Farm subdivision which they explained have not been completed since the project ground to a halt.

Attorney Mark Shelmerdine, representing property owner Michael Intoccia, sparred with Board members as to whether or not they had met their legal obligation to set a time deadline for necessary work to be done at the property site.

Numerous prior meetings between the Planning Board and the developer outlining uncompleted tasks and the Board expectations for work to be completed had resulted in some debris being moved off-site. The removal of left-over building material had been court-ordered in autumn 2010 but had not been completed.

Shelmerdine explained that he has not always been available for all the Planning Board meetings and site visits that the members held in order to go over a list of outstanding items including one with N-Star utilities.

Board Member Gordon Greene stressed to Shelmerdine that the Board’s patience with Intoccia had come to an end and that construction of street lights, planting of trees, conveyance of open space to the town and removal of construction material off-site needed to be completed as soon as weather permitted in 2011.

Greene was particularly concerned that the process needed to purchase the street lights through the town bidding process rather than through Intoccia would add months to the schedule to ensure the lights were installed in a timely fashion.

Planning Board members further discussed the likelihood that the bond posted by Intoccia would be “pulled” to pay for uncompleted work on the project. Town Planner Marc Resnick detailed for the Board how the process to use the bond money would unfold as had been done previously.

Shelmerdine enquired of Resnick if that occasion had been for an Intoccia project with the Town Planner replying in the negative.

It was determined that a punch list of work yet to be completed be created along with a firm date for accomplishment of tasks.

Town Planner Resnick and Shelmerdine are set to meet in the next week to develop a letter that will be sent to Intoccia Development.