The Select Board voted on March 12 to approve pending contracts that included $21,700 for Beta to study the Pleasant Street one‑way pilot and a set of new traffic counters; after debate the board agreed to revisit the Pleasant Street pilot next week and asked staff for more detailed data before spending additional funds for further study.

Select Board member Don (Select Board member) motioned to approve warrants and minutes earlier in the meeting; later the board took up pending contracts. Department of Public Works Director Drew Patenaud described a separate request to purchase six permanent traffic counters and a sixth mobile counter for police spot checks, and explained the Beta contract would fund traffic counting and analysis for the Pleasant Street pilot program. DPW staff said the counts would be coordinated with other pavement and sewer work and that April was the target month for collecting pilot data to avoid atypical traffic patterns during heavy construction.

Select Board member Dawn raised concerns that Pleasant Street had been closed while Atlantic Avenue was also closed for curbing work, creating an unintended traffic constraint, and called for ending the pilot. After discussion, the board voted to approve the pending contracts (motion seconded and approved by voice vote). Board members then agreed to add a separate agenda item next week to consider ending or suspending the Pleasant Street one‑way pilot and directed staff to provide more detailed traffic data and to explain proposed timing and methodology for Beta’s fieldwork.

DPW staff noted that the Beta study will include turning‑movement counts and comparison with existing two‑way counts; the purpose is to assess pilot performance and produce materials for board discussion. Select Board members asked staff to present clear before/after counts, timing that avoids construction impacts, and cost/benefit information before the board commits to further study or to ending the pilot.

No formal decision to end the pilot was made March 12; instead the board explicitly postponed any decision and set the item for next week’s agenda for a targeted discussion and potential vote.