Keene city manager outlines street repairs, sidewalks grant and fleet overhaul; residents raise Fourth Street safety concerns

Keene — At the Feb. 6 Keene City Council meeting, City Manager Johnny Seitz said the city has money in this year’s budget to address a badly damaged section of Santa Fe Street and is pursuing a federal grant to add sidewalks and street lighting on Fourth Street, where residents and parents say school-hour traffic and the absence of sidewalks create safety risks.

Seitz said the city is preparing a budget amendment to expand the part-time social-media contract with a part-time contractor, introduced at the meeting as Orna, and is also finalizing bids to consider moving the municipal fleet to a shorter replacement cycle through Enterprise Fleet, which could reduce maintenance costs. “I thought the average life of our vehicles was 13 and a half years. It’s actually 16 years,” Seitz said, describing an analysis that suggested moving to a 4–5 year cycle could save money.

Why it matters: Council members and residents framed the conversation as one about public safety for children and cost-effectiveness for municipal services. The Fourth Street corridor was raised during public comment by parents and residents who said vehicle speeds exceed posted school-hour limits and sidewalks are missing.

Public comments and council response Resident Wes Schramm told the council he frequently observes children walking without sidewalks in front of Chisholm Trail Academy (CTA) and that some drivers do not observe the temporary school-hour speed limit. “We either need to address that speed limit sign, or get some sidewalks in,” he said. Another resident, Jimmy Calling, said there is no school-hours speed-limit sign between the college and FM 2280 and suggested a flashing school sign.

Seitz responded that the city has identified funding options and is looking at a grant that would pay for sidewalks and lighting; he said he prefers installing speed-calming measures in targeted places and announced he will place a speed bump on Walnut Street near a group home and redo crosswalks there. “I’d rather not do that on Fourth Street,” he added.

Street repairs, parks, cameras and fleet Seitz said crews will address the worst 40-foot portion of Santa Fe Street when temperatures allow and that the city is evaluating a grant to extend sidewalks across Fourth Street. He also said public-works staff is preparing to install park-security cameras (the IT company is finalizing a bid) and that an initial fleet analysis indicates replacing old vehicles on a 4–5 year cycle could save maintenance costs.

Social media and community outreach The council introduced a part-time marketing contractor, Orna, who has been producing a weekly newsletter and social-media posts the city manager says have reached thousands of local residents. Seitz said the city will consider a budget amendment to expand that role.

Land-use action Separately on the agenda, the council approved a revised plat for Phase 1 of the Canyons residential development after staff explained changes made to remove a parcel sold to the school district and to convert two front lots to HOA property. The motion to approve the revised plat passed unanimously.

What’s next: City staff will bring grant details back to council for any required approvals, collect resident photographs about sidewalk and code issues as requested by council, and proceed with procurement for park cameras and a fleet-replacement plan. The Fourth Street sidewalk proposal remains contingent on grant approval.

Ending: Residents pressed the council for near-term action on Fourth Street, and Seitz outlined a mix of immediate measures (Walnut Street speed bump, crosswalk work) and grant-dependent projects (sidewalks and lighting) to address those concerns.