River Road in Windham is a popular thoroughfare for Windham residents as well as residents of other towns to travel to and from Westbrook. Unfortunately, its upkeep is the same as many other Maine roads where routine repairs would have kept it in good condition.

In the recent past a skim coat of asphalt was applied to make it better to drive on before a major reconstruction project could place it in the super-highway category.

Before I state the reason for using the quotation above, I dread what the River Road in Windham will become once it is widened, smoothed out and turned into the Indianapolis 500 Speedway. Believe me, that won’t take much at all because the state of Maine could have a budget surplus if it ticketed all the drivers that speed on that road, even before the road is improved into a super highway.

If you think I am kidding, please go to the intersection of River Road, Gambo Road and Newhall Road and watch as cars go flying by you at speeds far exceeding the posted speed of 30 mph with some traveling well over 50 mph.

To me it’s amazing that there have not been more serious accidents on River Road, which at least tells me some drivers are operating their vehicles in a safe manner.

Recently I noticed an article in the classified section of Maine’s largest newspaper about the taking of property from citizens of Windham that reside on River Road. First let me state I feel that the use of eminent domain by any level of government is absolutely the most disgusting use of power that they could use. Our country was founded on freedom and many members of the American colonies died fighting for that freedom. Somehow our country has digressed into something which the Founders hated that caused them to form it in the first place. And what’s really weird here is that I remember the first very well publicized case of eminent domain that took place around 2005 in New London, Conn. That’s only because I have a very good friend who lives in Groton, which is right across the river from New London. What’s amazing with that case is that a property was seized under eminent domain for development that would improve the property and yet the development never happened. Guess the elected officials in New London forgot about Fort Griswold.

Make no mistake about it, our country was founded on the beliefs of freedom but there are clauses in the Constitution that allow for eminent domain. The problem becomes when one tries to define what a property is worth when seized by government and as far as I have seen, government makes Ebenezer Scrooge look like a high-spender in Las Vegas. What I have witnessed so far is that the state of Maine is doing its best to lower the cost of paying for the land that they are seizing. There should, at the minimum, be reimbursement based on the fair market value of the land taken. If an acre of land is worth $50,000 and the state seizes 1/5th of an acre, the property owner should receive $10,000 but I haven’t seen that in this case.

I remember all of the talk about rebuilding the River Road and how great a road it would become. I don’t remember any elected officials at the local and state levels assuring property owners that they would be properly reimbursed for any land seized. I am sure some people are upset that their house will be closer to the River Road while some others are losing their much-needed privacy. I also expect that the amount of heavy trucks using that road will see a huge increase, which makes it a less-desirable road to live on.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham hates to drive on the River Road and it’s not because of its condition.

“Everyone should feel comfortable they are going to remain in their homes until their dying days. We should never be uneasy or unsure of where our home is in the United States of America.”

Tit Elingtin, author of

“Eminent Domain”