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Residents raise safety concerns on Stack Drive; selectmen direct DPW and town counsel to post signs and amend parking ordinance
Summary
Neighbors on Stack Drive described repeated on-street parking that creates a pinch point at a corner; the selectmen directed the town manager to work with public works to place no-parking signage and to draft an ordinance amendment for the next meeting.
Residents of Stack Drive told the board that vehicles parked on one side of the road near 14 Stack Drive consistently create a hazardous pinch point at a corner used by pedestrians and children. At the Oct. 14 meeting, resident Andrew Grillo asked the Board of Selectmen to direct the Department of Public Works to post no-parking signs in the area and to request a code or ordinance change if needed.
Grillo said the parked vehicles "create a permanent funneling of traffic" at the corner and noted frequent pedestrian activity — walkers, strollers and children — in the neighborhood. He proposed placing signage about 150 feet in each direction to prevent curbside parking in the hazard zone and to ask DPW director Tim to advise on exact sign placement and distances.
Selectmen moved and seconded a motion directing Town Manager David to update the parking ordinance with guidance from DPW (Tim) and to bring a proposed ordinance and sign plan back to the next meeting. The motion passed unanimously, 5-0.
Resident Jen St. Cyr added related concerns about a facility on the street that she understood may house up to four residents and that currently has 2–4 vehicles on site; she said the board should monitor how the property’s vehicle needs affect neighborhood parking as additional occupants move in. Town Manager David said he had begun outreach to the state Health and Human Services contacts and to Benchmark (the operator) and that communication was starting.
Why it matters: The change directs the town to address an immediate traffic-safety hazard in a residential neighborhood and begins a process to clarify parking rules in response to a property change.
Board next steps: DPW to advise on sign placement; town manager to draft ordinance language for selectmen review at the next meeting and to continue dialogue with the property operator and state contacts.
