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Hampden council reconsiders, approves Safe Streets demonstration with $2,750 local match
Summary
After public questions about cost and study design, Hampden council voted 5-2 to partner with the regional BACTS Safe Streets for All demonstration at the Route 1A crosswalk near the Skahan Center; staff said Hamden’s share is $2,750 already partially budgeted.
The Hampden Town Council voted 5-2 on April 6 to reconsider and approve participation in a Safe Streets for All demonstration coordinated by the Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System (BACTS), a regional traffic-safety effort. The demonstration will install temporary traffic-calming features at the Route 1A crosswalk near the Skahan Center to test public reaction and collect speed data.
During extended council discussion and public comment, Linda Valcourt said she had understood there would be no cost to the town and reported the total regional project budget at $500,000, with a local match component; she said Hamden’s share is $2,750 split into two payments. Town staff later explained that Hamden’s local match was budgeted previously (about $1,350) and that the remaining match is accounted for in planning documents. “They came to see me last week and realized they misunderstood how that grant worked,” the town manager said, describing staff follow-up and the budget record.
Councilors raised concerns about the study’s purpose, seasonality and data analysis. Councilor Wally asked whether the demonstration would meaningfully inform a permanent project and whether three days of speed counts were sufficient; the project planner, Maddie, replied the demonstration aims primarily to give residents a chance to see a temporary installation and to gather speed metrics such as the 85th percentile and changes in the distribution of speeds. Planners also noted the grant requires a defined end date for reporting; whether the town keeps the materials installed beyond the reporting period will be the council’s decision.
The planner and engineering staff said they would collect a minimum of a week of baseline 24-hour speed data and at least a week of data during the demonstration to evaluate effects. Victor, who addressed crash-data methodology, noted the state typically uses a three-year crash window to identify high-crash locations and that the segment in question showed elevated crash rates on the three-year measure.
The council used a procedural “previous question” motion to end debate before the reconsideration vote; after closing debate the main motion to reconsider and partner with BACTS passed 5-2. The staff memo in the council packet describes how the regional grant divides costs and the source for Hamden’s modest local match.
