BALTIMORE COUNTY. 737

and whenever any freeholder of the county shall desire to have opened a
new road for the public benefit or an old one altered, relocated or closed
he shall give notice of his intention to apply therefor by publication in
one or more of the county newspapers for three successive weeks, setting
forth as near as may be the length, location and termini thereof, the
names of the abutting property owners and the date on which he will
appear before the said County Commissioners and ask for the order on
such petition. In addition to such notice by publication he shall cause
a copy of said advertisement to be served upon such abutting property
owners, where personal service is practicable, and where not practicable
to be left on the premises with the person in charge thereof. Within ten
days after the last publication of such notice he shall file his petition
with the County Commissioners, together with a certificate of publica-
tion of the notice aforesaid, and a certificate of publication of the notice
aforesaid, and a certificate of the person serving such notice as to the
service of the same. Counter petitions or objections to the opening, alter-
ing or closing of such road may be filed by anyone interested at any time
before the date fixed for the hearing on such petition; and whether there
be objections or not to the granting of such petition, the said County
Commissioners shall on the day fixed in such notice hear such evidence
as may be offered and pass on said petition or sustain or overrule such
objections or, in their discretion, withhold their decision until they have
had an opportunity to investigate the matter or until a final hearing of
the matter after the report of examiners appointed as hereinafter pro-
vided, if they shall decide that it is expedient to appoint such examiners.
If the petition be for the opening, altering or relocating of a road and
there be no objection to the granting of the same, or if there be such
objection and the said County Commissioners decide that it is expedient
that such petition shall be granted, and no appeal be taken from such
decision as hereinafter provided, or if such appeal be taken and dismissed,
said County Commissioners shall have the power to contract with the
owner or owners of land through which the road is intended to run for
The right of way necessary for said road, if he, she or they be competent
to contract, and in case the said County Commissioners shall so contract,
they shall cause a plat of the said road to be made by the county surveyor
under the direction of the Roads Engineer and filed and recorded in the
office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, which said
plat shall be referred to in and shall be a part of said deed or deeds, and
the lands so conveyed shall be and become thenceforth the property of the
county in the same manner and to the same extent as other county roads
and shall be kept in repair as such; and at the same time said County
Commissioners shall cause a duplicate description and plat to be prepared
and recorded or filed among their records. And if the petition be for the
closing of a road, or portion thereof, or for the relocation or alteration
of a road which will result in a closing of a portion of the same as for-
merly existing and no objection be made thereto after notice bv adver-
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