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Casco residents press Select Board to plan bigger road program after lively town meeting
Summary
After a town meeting that produced strong sentiment for more road spending, residents and board members discussed workshops, data-driven prioritization and next-year procurement timing to present clear funding options to voters.
Residents and several Select Board members used the June 16 meeting to press for more aggressive road planning after a town meeting that surprised some officials with voter appetite for increased road funding.
Sam Brown (Open Space Commission) and other residents urged the board to hold a preliminary workshop presenting tiered road-funding options—“Option A, Option B, Option C”—so voters understand trade-offs between spending levels and expected outcomes. "If you spend a million dollars on roads, this is what we can get done; if you spend $4 million, this is what we can get done," one resident suggested during public comment.
Eugene described a near-miss outside his house that residents say illustrates the safety stakes. "If we didn't stand back and this person lost control, he would have been in my yard," Eugene said, pressing the board to consider traffic calming and other safety interventions in high-concern areas.
Town staff and the Safe Streets Committee emphasized new tools that can speed planning: the town will be using Urban SDX to gather speed and volume data and will coordinate with LJB engineering resources to prepare corridor-level plans. Board members said the work must begin now to have projects ready for bidding and construction during next year’s paving window.
Why it matters: Roads were the most discussed issue at the town meeting and have direct budget consequences; clearer options and earlier outreach could increase turnout and better align voter expectations with engineering timelines.
What’s next: The board agreed to begin planning this summer—identifying priority corridors, refining cost estimates with LJB, and preparing workshop materials for community discussion ahead of the next town meeting.
