The council heard from parties on both sides of the issue of a set of stone stairs built on a parcel of town-owned land on Bowen Road, where there is water access. Owners of the Bowen Road property near the path that leads to the meeting of the Piscataqua River and Spruce Creek, Nick and Cynthia Clainos worked with a landscaper to construct stairs after Cynthia Clainos fell down on the path in July while trying to access the water.

“In this case, the person did not get the proper permit from the town or the Department of Environmental Protection,” said Earldean Wells, chair of the town’s conservation committee. “They are not the owners of the property. The town is.”

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