Warner voters approve $735,000 Exit 9 roundabout after debate over added costs

Warner voters approved an amended warrant (Article 9) on March 11, 2015, authorizing the town to raise $735,000 for construction of a roundabout on Route 103 near Exit 9 on I-89. Under the amendment, $490,245 is expected to be reimbursed by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), $114,000 would come from the General Fund Balance (NHDOT reimbursement for Phase 1 & 2), $45,000 from the Exit 9 Improvements Capital Reserve Fund and $85,755 would be raised by taxation. The final paper-ballot tally on the amended article was 87 in favor, 68 opposed.

Supporters and the engineering team framed the project as a traffic-calming and access improvement. Gene McCarthy, project manager for McFarland & Johnson, said design changes responding to public input explain much of the cost increase, noting that “$35,000 of increase includes: landscaping, ‘treatments’ in center island, move the Warner sign ... and lights in the center of the roundabout,” and that a wider, 10-foot multiuse sidewalk extension accounted for roughly $40,000. McCarthy added that additional surveying and grading raised costs by another $40,000 and that some earlier cost estimates did not include landscaping or aesthetic improvements.

Opponents criticized the timing and scope of the higher price. Budget Committee member John Leavitt said the added items were presented to voters late and called the change a “classic ‘bait and switch,’” arguing the Budget Committee and Selectmen had not had time to review the additions. James Gaffney and others questioned the need for a roundabout at a location they described as having few major accidents; Gaffney warned of possible unintended traffic pattern changes and said roundabouts can be a “nightmare and train wreck” for some drivers. Police Chief William Chandler said accident reports show low crash numbers in the Exit 9 area, attributing that in part to slow-moving traffic, but also said that drivers “make their own order” and that the intersection needs addressing.

Engineers and Selectmen said the roundabout was designed to meet state standards and to accommodate truck movements. McFarland & Johnson and Selectman Clyde Carson said that truck circulation had been considered in the design and that modern roundabout treatments (truck aprons, rounded curbing) were incorporated. Carson explained the financing mechanics to the meeting: the state reimbursement is deposited into the Town’s General Fund by DOT rules, and Article 9 asked voters to authorize taking $114,000 of that General Fund reimbursement to pay for Phase 3 construction.

The meeting also approved an amendment to Article 9 (vote on the amendment: YES 91 / NO 69) that raised the project total to $735,000 from an original $600,000 figure. After the amendment passed, the final Article 9 vote was held by paper ballot and the amended article passed. Selectmen and project staff noted the final design plans were still at NHDOT awaiting state approval; approval by voters authorizes the town’s share of construction funding but does not itself constitute state approval.

Next steps: with voter authorization, project bids and final contract documents will proceed contingent on state review and approvals; Selectmen and the engineering firm said construction could occur in 2015 if state approvals and contract procurement proceed on schedule. A motion to restrict reconsideration of Articles 8 and 9 was approved by voters immediately after the Article 9 vote, limiting the ability to reopen the question in the immediate meeting.