Selectmen recommend
minor changes to circle BY BRENDAN BERUBE Staff Writer ALTON — With the idea of converting the Alton Traffic Circle into a Europeanstyle roundabout wildly unpopular among residents, the
board of selectmen voted Monday night to recommend that the state Department of Transportation (DOT) pursue minor improvements aimed at making the existing circle function in a more conventional
way.
Chairman Alan Sherwood opened the discussion by proposing a three-part recommendation to the board. The first part, he said,would be to ask the DOT to put the roundabout option on “permanent hold” and focus on improvements designed to increase the safety and capacity of the circle.
The second part of Sherwood’s recommendation was to ask if the DOT would consider additional cosmetic improvements at the circle,such
as a sidewalk connecting the cemetery to the new Merrymeeting River bridge; a pedestrian crossing connecting the sidewalk at Hannaford
to the foot and bicycle path that runs along the railroad bed near Old Wolfeboro Road; and a park and ride lot. The third part, Sherwood said,would be to ask the DOT to research the origin of the $2.5 million appropriation earmarked for the circle, and determine if the language of
the earmark could be broadened in scope to include repairs to Route 28 between Alton and Barnstead. Selectman Peter Bolster felt that the reconfigured design, with new signage forcing incoming vehicles on
Route 11 west to yield when entering the circle, would “pretty well take care of” what he saw as the primary safety concern, the necessity
for vehicles heading toward New Durham Road to cut across both lanes at the Route 11 entrance. Bolster also thought the park and ride lot would reduce energy use, and represent a “really important savings” for the community. The sidewalks, he said, would also go a long way toward
promoting public health.
Selectman Steve McMahon supported the idea of a sidewalk along Route 28 from the bridge down to Prospect Mountain High School. With that area becoming more and more built-up, he said, the increased traffic flow poses a danger to both drivers and students walking or biking along the road.
“I’m very much behind this,” said Town Planner Sharon Penney, adding
that she particularly liked the idea of enhanced pedes trian access.
“It’s a real excellent planning opportunity to do something proactive,” she said, asking to be kept “in the information loop.”
Resident Reuben Wentworth, however, felt that the selectmen were in too much of a rush to make a decision. “What’s the hurry?” he asked. “The money is there; it’s not going anywhere.” The first step, Wentworth
suggested, should be to determine where the money originated from.
“Does the state have to match the earmark?” he asked, referring to concerns about funding raised by DOT representatives at a public
hearing on the project on April 16.
Sherwood explained that the discussion at the hearing occurred because the DOT was unsure if the earmarked funding would cover the cost
of a roundabout. There would most likely be money left over after the minor improvements, he added. Making incoming traffic yield, Wentworth said, could create backups on Route 11. “Right now, it does flow,”
he added. If anything, he suggested, the selectmen should ask the
state to move the yield sign across from Route 28 south to the left-hand side of the road, rather than the right-hand side, enabling drivers to notice it more. For Chris Consentino, whose family once owned Aubuchon Hardware, the proposed improvements were a matter of “if it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it.” “It really ain’t broke,” she said. “I can’t see all the rigmarole
about fixing it.” Addressing the issue of sidewalks, Consentino pointed
out that the sidewalk in front of Town Hall is in a severe state of disrepair.
“And you want us to put more in?” she asked. The only severe accident
Consentino remembered witnessing at the circle involved a truck that went over on its side, an accident that she said was caused not by the configuration of the circle, but by the fact that the driver was speeding.
Echoing Wentworth’s primary concern, Consentino suggested that the selectmen investigate to determine why the money was earmarked for
the circle, and where it came from. If possible, she added, the money should be used to “fix something that’s broke.” MaryBee Longabaugh
supported the selectmen’s recommendation, joking that she never met a roundabout she liked. “If you get in the wrong lane, you’re done for,” she
said, describing the dangers associated with two-lane roundabouts.
Referring to an article submitted to the board by her husband, Bob, on the popularity of roundabouts in the state of New York (which has already built 33 roundabouts, and has 24 more in the works), Longabaugh explained that she has driven through several of New York’s roundabouts.
“They’re beautiful, if you know what you’re doing,” she said, adding that a roundabout would not work in a community like Alton,which sees a large number of tourists during the summer, who would be unfamiliar with the new design. Ruth Messier also expressed a distrust of roundabouts,
explaining that she would prefer to travel around the other side of Lake Winnipesaukee to visit her daughter in Meredith rather than tackle the roundabout there. “It was the most stressful experience I’ve ever had as a driving woman,” she said. Messier’s primary concern with the selectmen’s recommendation was the proposal for a sidewalk along
Route 28. If she lived on that stretch of road and had school-aged
children who would have to walk to Prospect Mountain, she said, “I would never let them go to school.” Messier also asked whether the town or the state would ultimately be responsible for maintaining the sidewalk. Sherwood replied that the town would be responsible for all maintenance.
Highway Agent Ken Roberts suggested that as part of their recommendation, the selectmen look into beautifying the center of the circle. “It’s a rat hole,” he said. “I’m sorry, but it is.” Pointing out that the town no longer has even so much as a “Welcome to Alton” sign posted at the circle, Roberts urged the board to “do something with it.” Bolster said he had come across a landscaping plan for the circle that looked like it
had been drawn up in the late 1960s in a filing cabinet at the Community Church during his time as pastor there, and suggested that the town might have a copy. The board ultimately voted 3-0 to submit their recommendation to the DOT, with McMahon (who suggested that they wait and see if the money could be used to repair Route 28) abstaining.
Sherwood explained that the recommendation would more than likely mean a two year process, including a future public hearing on the DOT’s formal plan.
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