Lowville couple returns ceremonial key amid Forest Avenue ownership dispute
Arel and Barbara Brown returned a ceremonial village key as they pursue a lawsuit over whether Forest Avenue in Lowville should be public.
By Caleb Mercer, ClickNNY North Country Desk
Arel and Barbara Brown have returned a ceremonial key presented to them by the village of Lowville in 2015, amid an ongoing dispute over ownership and public access to Forest Avenue. The Browns, who have operated two businesses on the road for 26 years, are suing to have the privately owned street declared public.
The Browns presented New York Central blueprints to the village board that they say show the railroad gave Forest Avenue to Lowville for traffic purposes. Mayor Danny Salmon said he had not previously seen the document. The village maintains that property records from 2019 show it does not own the road.
Salmon said making the road a village responsibility could cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Barry Lyndaker, a Lewis County legislator who owns Forest Avenue, has said he is preparing a written 16-foot right-of-way extending along the road. He has verbally offered to continue allowing public use and hopes to present a draft to the Browns soon.
The lawsuit names the village and Lyndaker as defendants. The Browns have said they are concerned public access could be restricted as they look to sell their businesses. The road has been open to the public for more than 60 years, according to the Browns' court papers, and police have enforced traffic laws there for more than 10 years.
Lyndaker has said he does not plan to permanently close the road, though access could be limited while sewer and water lines are replaced. The Browns' attorney, Mike Young, has said he is willing to hear from the other parties.
A Lewis County sales list prepared Jan. 15, 2026, records the sale of a Forest Avenue parcel at 7643 Forest Ave. by Arel B. Brown to Howland Properties, LLC, for $215,000, with a sale date of Dec. 31, 2024. The list does not establish who owns the road.
Lyndaker’s proposed right-of-way could be finalized this week, but its terms have not been made public. The village’s legal response and the lawsuit’s next court date remain pending.
Reported by ClickNNY and reviewed by an editor before publication.
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