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Residents raise alarm over DPW proposal costs, Martin Road safety and the public‑comment time limit
Summary
Public commenters at the Feb. 5 Hebron council meeting criticized a proposed DPW facility's projected cost and transparency, urged traffic calming and a complete‑streets review for Martin Road, and called for reconsidering the three‑minute public‑comment rule.
Multiple residents used the Feb. 5 public‑comment periods to press the council on transparency, project costs and road safety.
Rob Putray introduced himself and urged caution on a proposed DPW facility (the Wharton parcel discussion), saying preliminary or circulated projections put the project in the tens of millions and warning of tax impacts. He presented example tax estimates — "$778 per year for a home assessed at $250,000" and "$1,500 per year for a home assessed at $500,000" — and asked the council to insist on professionally vetted estimates rather than rough committee calculations and to make supporting documents public.
David Souza called attention to the town’s Martin Road reconstruction proposal (a roughly $4 million reconstruction presented at a separate public meeting), saying the planned smoothing and widening could increase speeds and crash risk and urging immediate traffic‑calming measures, a townwide complete‑streets study and consideration of automated speed enforcement. Souza recounted multiple near misses while walking in town and described a neighbor’s serious pedestrian injury at Martin Road and West Street.
A separate commenter (speaker 5) urged the council to reconsider the three‑minute public‑comment limit, saying the rule favors quick, prepared speakers and disadvantages people who are less practiced at concise public remarks.
Council members received the comments and indicated staff follow up where appropriate; no formal action was taken during the meeting on the DPW facility, Martin Road design or public‑comment rules, though members noted plans to present fuller DPW materials and the facilities study at future meetings.
