By Nicholas Harmon
Now that we find ourselves committed to upgrade Joslin Hill Road on our own without the benefit of a state-funded engineering study, it is time to plan our next steps.
Let me start to assess this situation by reviewing a few facts.
1) Joslin Hill Road requires repair next year – plow broke last winter and deemed almost unsafe to maintain.
2) There is a very strong interest for addressing safety concerns on the road.
3) The select board just approved a motion to solicit feedback and work together as a community to plan the Joslin Hill Road repairs.
4) There were estimates bantered about at the September 8 select board meeting ranging from as low as $300,000 to as much as $2 million to address the road. In fact, it was suggested that $70,000 might delay the necessity of such a significant project by as much as five years. The town plan has almost $1 million for 2015 requiring voter approval for a bond.
Now what?
Mike Kingsbury, a retired road maintenance/contractor, along with Charlie Goodman, the road commissioner, and Rodney Jones, the town road foreman, should quickly work together to develop two or three plan options. Mike, I'm presumptively volunteering you as you were vocal at the meeting and clearly have the requisite experience to guide, participate in and/or lead such an effort. Here are the options as I see it:
1) Repavement only.
2) Repavement with a widened shoulder or bike path on north side of Joslin Hill Road.
3) Repavement with a widened shoulder or bike path on south side of Joslin Hill Road.
4) Other options.
Issues: Landowners have encroached on the town's right of way. It was suggested at the meeting that it's a 4-rod road: meaning width of more than 20 yards. Is this true? It seemed apparent that there is sufficient interest in a bike path and that this needs to be studied and estimated by the community well in advance of March 2015 Town Meeting. How wide should it be?
In the study of the bike path special interests might petition for a north or south side bike path. There are mailboxes and telephone poles mostly on the north side. Sadly, the north side is more conducive for the path due to its favorable geography, in my mind, but this needs study. What are the advantages and disadvantages to each option?
What is the cost to the town for reclaiming the land that's been encroached upon? Does the town have to pay landowners for rebuilding and moving mailboxes? The telephone poles? The culvert at the end of Brook Road would need to be widened. Are there potential legal costs and issues that need to be considered?
I hope that the select board can follow up on its motion and seize this issue demonstrating their commitment to leadership of the town's interests in a timely and nonjudgmental fashion.
Nicholas Harmon lives in Waitsfield.
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