Norridgewock refers neighborhood speed complaints to road committee; board weighs speed tables

Residents and select board members raised safety concerns over vehicle speed on Pine Street, Low Street, Welch Street and other side roads during Monday's meeting, prompting the board to refer the matter to the road committee for recommendations and to schedule a public hearing connected to ARPA funding consideration.

Several residents described children riding bikes and frequent through-traffic on streets that historically saw little volume; one board member said Pine Street has roughly 30 homes and argued that a permanent speed table is a low-cost, durable deterrent. Board discussion covered design choices (temporary plastic units versus engineered permanent speed tables), plowing/maintenance implications for the highway crew, and funding sources: options mentioned included the operating account, reserves and ARPA public-safety funds. A board member indicated similar measures on other roads previously cost about $5,000 each.

The board agreed the road committee should evaluate the sites, engineering needs and the appropriate funding source and return with a recommendation; a public hearing on ARPA was also scheduled to consider funding. Board members and residents emphasized the primary objective as child and pedestrian safety, while some noted enforcement limitations because state police handle citations and ticket revenue largely does not return to the town.

Next steps: The select board formally referred the request to the road committee, asked staff to schedule a public hearing tied to ARPA eligibility and directed staff to gather cost estimates and an implementation timeline ahead of construction season.