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Select Board keeps 20‑foot crosswalk setbacks after mixed voter guidance; schedules work session
Summary
After hearing legal and engineering advice and public comment, the Select Board voted to retain 20‑foot setbacks around downtown crosswalks (favoring safety guidance from Stantec) and agreed to a work session and further study with Stantec/DOT and community stakeholders.
The Wolfeboro Select Board voted on May 6 to keep the recent crosswalk configuration that leaves a clear 20‑foot setback between crosswalks and parked cars, rejecting a motion to restore some parking spaces immediately.
Stantec's written advice, distributed in the board packet, recommended adopting petition 22 (a 20‑foot setback on both sides of pedestrian crossings) rather than petition 26 (which would restore parking spaces immediately beyond crossings). Jerry Fortin and Jonathan Burke of Stantec had earlier briefed the board on engineering practice and the constraints of doing a full corridor study.
Select Board member John Thurston moved to maintain the existing safety setbacks and direct staff to mark them "as they currently exist." The motion passed on a roll call: Thurston and Selectmen Dave Seneckel and Paul O'Brien voted yes; Linda Murray and Brian Deshais voted no.
Linda Murray and others said the procedural roll‑out of the pedestrian/parking changes left many residents unaware and urged more public process before final changes. Brian Deshais cited the voter returns and argued that the board should follow the will of voters to restore parking in some locations, saying the vote margins on the warrant articles were meaningful.
Attorney guidance in the packet emphasized that the town can limit liability by consulting professionals and the state before changing configurations and recommended working with Stantec and DOT to document options. The board accepted that procedural guidance and agreed to schedule a work session to assemble technical input, review a 2009 downtown study and solicit stakeholder comment.
What happens next: The board directed staff to schedule a public work session focusing first on cross‑connection and crosswalk questions, have Stantec prepare a corridor review or options memo that can be shared with DOT, and return with an implementation plan and signage recommendations.
