Community pushes select board to fund rapid-flashing beacons at Chikora/Route 16 crosswalk

Judith Reardon, a board member of the Chikora Community Association, told the Tamworth select board the association has seen multiple near-miss pedestrian incidents at the Route 16 crosswalk near the post office and library and asked whether the board still supported installing rapid-flashing beacons there. “There have been several close calls of pedestrians almost being hit in the crosswalk,” Reardon said, and she thanked the chief for arranging a crossing guard during recent events.

Select board members said they need documented cost estimates and a concrete proposal before committing town funds this year. Board discussion and input from residents put equipment-only estimates between $15,000 and $30,000, with installation and site work creating the widest variance. The board said anything over $5,000 with a useful life longer than five years would go through the capital-improvement program and might be placed on a warrant article for voter approval. “If you want it now instead of in the budget cycle, what’s your prospectus for finding or funding?” the board asked the presenters.

Residents pressed for speed on safety. Carol Lovely, a Chikora resident, said the intersection is dangerous and “something needs to be done urgently,” noting traffic volumes and lack of sidewalk at parts of the approach. Board members reiterated that the town must follow DOT safety guidance: either remove crosswalk paint or repaint and install rapid-flashing beacons if the town wants to retain a marked crossing. The board asked volunteers and the town road agent to collect bids and backup data so the select board can consider sponsoring a warrant article or advise how to proceed if the community prefers to fundraise.

Next procedural steps the board described were clear: the volunteers should compile vendor quotes and cost backup, the road agent would likely solicit bids, and, if the select board supports the project, it would be routed through the CIP or presented as a warrant article in the next budget cycle. If the community wants an earlier install, the board said the association could raise the funds into a town-managed account and the town would expend them once the funds are available.