Edgartown selectmen responded to a threatened legal claim for damages from residents of Simpson’s Lane, who charge the town has created a nuisance and has taken their property rights by allowing the street to be used for the Chappaquiddick ferry waiting line.

The complaint dates to last fall. Edgartown attorney Ellen Kaplan, who represents a group of seven property owners on Simpson’s Lane, wrote in a Nov. 12 letter to selectmen that if the town does not respond by May 12, she plans to file a lawsuit which could include additional claims against the town.

The residents say the ferry line blocks driveways and prevents deliveries and emergency vehicles from getting to their homes. “Our clients have sustained damage, including the devaluation of each of the properties,” Ms. Kaplan wrote in the letter to the town. The letter did not specify a damage amount.

In a written response, released at the selectmen’s meeting Wednesday, the board outlined steps taken over 30 years to mitigate the traffic issues, including several actions taken over the past two years.

“We believe that we have taken positive measures to address the situation,” selectmen wrote to Ms. Kaplan. “We emphatically reject any claim that the town has permitted or allowed a public nuisance, or taking of any private property rights on Simpson’s Lane.”

Selectmen said they remain committed to working with the resident group to resolve the issues.