Residents urge Barnstead Selectboard to halt 200-foot pavement extension on Evans/John Tasker Road

Barnstead Selectboard members opened and read five bids for this year's paving program on May 20, then paused to hear public comment about a proposed 200-foot extension of pavement on Evans/John Tasker Road.

Resident Kristen Hails of 94 Evans Road told the board she opposed extending the pavement beyond the current line, saying the extra length would encourage faster driving, increase noise and threaten the area's "country atmosphere." "We're talking for a slight inconvenience for your truck, which you have every other part of the town," she said, urging the board to keep the road as dirt where it currently ends. Hails also raised safety concerns for pedestrians and an elderly neighbor who walks the road frequently.

Staff read the five base bids and alternates aloud. Totals and notes announced included Atlantic Asphalt (base read as $698,425; alternate price not listed on the sheet), Continental Paving (base $612,500; alternate $4,000), GMI (Adam Belmont; base $622,600; alternate $40,000), R&D Paving (base $614,365; alternate $28,200), and Advanced Excavating & Paving (detailed unit prices listed on the record). The board said unit pricing, mobilization charges and alternate-mix proposals will be reviewed before any award.

Board members and residents discussed operational reasons behind the 200-foot extension. A staff member explained the limited extra paving was proposed to facilitate plow turnaround and to avoid plowing onto dirt roads with salt remaining on the truck, not to extend pavement to the next town line. "It was the -- they still plow, but pavement. They got salt on," the staff member said in explanation of the operational tradeoffs.

Residents countered those operational points by stressing long-term impacts: higher speeds where pavement ends and begins, more noise, and changes to the neighborhood's rural character. Other commenters highlighted infrastructure concerns, warning that paving without adequate subsurface and drainage preparation risks premature road failure and increases long-term costs.

The board confirmed it would not award bids tonight, citing the need to verify that low bidders included all required work items. The roads listed for this year's paving program included Evans Mountain Road, John Tasker Road (Route 126 to Goodrich intersection), Rabbit Lane, Cole Bath Road (Shackford Corner to the end of pavement), and Depot Street (Route 126 to the business park). The board opened a paving-specific public comment period and closed it about 6:45 p.m.; broader public comment continued afterward.

Next steps: the board will review the bids, verify unit prices and alternates, and return to award decisions at a later meeting. No contract award or vote on the paving bids was taken on May 20.