Strafford Residents Discuss
Village Transportation Issues
By John Freitag

There was lively discussion among the nearly 40 people who turned out Monday night, April 30 at Barrett Hall in South Strafford for a public meeting to discuss the development of a transportation plan for the lower village.

Last fall, South Strafford from Barrett Hall to Coburn’s Store received a designation as a village center, which will allow it to compete more effectively for various grants for infrastructure improvement. This new study will help the town in the very competitive process of getting grants.

Selectboard Chair Steve Willbanks outlined past efforts toward improving the infrastructure in South Strafford, including a 2003 village study, a 2005 sidewalk improvement design, moving the town garage out of the village, and putting a park and ride area in its place this year.

Willbanks introduced an ad-hoc committee established by the board to help advise on the project. The members included (in addition to himself), Martha Walker from the planning commission; store owner and village resident, Sue Coburn; village resident Bob Bauer; business owner and landscape architect, Janet Cavenaugh; and David Taplin from the recreation board.

Willbanks then turned the meeting over to David Saladino, a consultant with Resource System Group, whose services have been retained by the selectboard for this project.

Saladino described in more detail past efforts and opened the floor for comment, which there was plenty of. Concerns were raised over the width of the road and how changes would impact houses nearer the road, what was underneath the ground in terms of pipes and septic systems, and how they would be affected as well.

Speed on the road was also an issue, with Bob Bauer, a father of three school aged children, who spoke up about this issue. His concerns about speeding cars were somewhat contradicted by traffic consultant Chuck Wise of the Regional Planning Commission, whose research had shown an average speed of 25 m.p.h. in the lower village. It was among the lowest village speeds he said he had clocked anywhere, although he allowed it did not mean there weren’t individuals traveling too fast.

What everyone could agree on was the sad state of the sidewalks. Peggy Thorp noted that when her daughter Ann was a girl, a number of decades ago, she fell off her bike due to a crack on the sidewalk "and that crack is still there!" There was also general agreement that if new sidewalks were built they would have to be maintained.

A number of people complained about the current practice of pushing the snowbanks into people’s yards instead of taking the snow out of the village as is done in many towns.

Lighting was also an issue with some wanting to have fewer lights on for fewer hours and others skeptical about less nighttime light in the village. Willbanks noted that the board is also looking into the issue of lighting with CVPS, regarding more control by the town and different types of lights that direct more light downwards and cause less light pollution.

Follow up meetings planned for the next few months are also likely to draw large and vocal crowds. The board will contact the school, whose students move from building to building in the village, to see if they would like to take an active role in the process.

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