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Brookfield selectmen set public hearing on winter parking ban, approve minutes and pay bills; traffic study prompts paving plan
Summary
At a regular meeting, Brookfield selectmen approved minutes and a manifest of bills, scheduled a public hearing on a proposed winter parking ban, heard that a website contract with CIVUS Plus is pending, and reviewed traffic-monitoring data showing high vehicle counts and speeds on Moose Mountain and Lyford roads.
Brookfield selectmen approved the minutes from the Sept. 4 meeting and accepted a manifest of bills, set a public hearing date for a proposed winter parking ban and heard traffic-monitoring results that town officials said show unusually high vehicle counts and speeds on Moose Mountain Road and near Lyford Road.
The board voted to approve the Sept. 4 meeting minutes after a motion and voice votes recorded as “Aye.” The selectmen later moved to accept the manifest and pay the listed bills; that motion carried on a voice vote with at least one selectman (Walter) recorded as voting “Aye.”
The board put a proposed winter parking ordinance on the schedule for a public hearing. The meeting agenda listed the public hearing for Oct. 7, 2025, at 5 p.m.; the chair later said the town will post the ordinance and suggested holding the hearing at 6 p.m. immediately before the next selectmen meeting. The draft ordinance would impose a winter parking ban on town roads from Dec. 1 through either March 1 or March 15 (the draft text still shows both dates). The chair said the town attorney has reviewed the draft and the police chief had not returned feedback as of the meeting.
Selectmen were told that the town has signed a statement of work for a new town website and is waiting for CIVUS Plus to return a signed contract “tomorrow or Thursday.” Officials said seven inputs have been collected for the site template and that CIVUS Plus will use about three weeks to start building it. The board agreed to delay budgeting for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance work for the website because, one official said, the state does not require full compliance until April 2027; the board plans to revisit ADA work when preparing next year’s budget.
Public-works and road updates drew detailed discussion. Stratford Regional placed vehicle counters on Moose Mountain Road, near Library Road and on Lyford Road, producing 15-minute interval counts and speed data. The board was told that Moose Mountain Road recorded about 500 vehicles per day, while a nearby road showed roughly 130–150 vehicles per day during the sample period. Members noted 15-minute interval spikes and that the Lyford Road monitoring recorded vehicles traveling in the 45–50 mph range in locations posted at 25 mph.
Town officials said the reclaimed section of Moose Mountain Road will receive 6 inches of gravel, grading and compaction and that paving is expected in about a month, weather permitting. Staff described some cleanup work — removing chunks of asphalt and rocks in the West Bay area — so the new pavement can be installed properly. An official explained that paving over dirt is possible in rainy conditions but paving over existing pavement in rain is not.
The meeting included other routine items: a report that 14 families checked out beach passes over the summer (about double the prior year), discussion of a town barbecue scheduled for Oct. 11 and confirmation that copies of the town’s RSMS documents have been printed for public viewing. Selectmen also discussed hiring an additional maintenance worker because current staffing and an injured employee have left some duties undone; the board agreed to post the position. Members asked whether the new hire would be an employee (requiring background checks) or a contractor and discussed whether the job would include shoveling and other seasonal tasks.
The meeting adjourned at 6:22 p.m.
